Twin Figure for Shango Cult

late 19th or early 20th century

Yoruba, African

On View

African: Yoruba Spiritual Life, Level 1, North Wing

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About the Artwork

This dance wand, or oshe Shango, is one of the most sophisticated sculptures associated with the Yoruba thunder god Shango. A Shango priest or priestess would dance with it to receive the deity’s spirit during rituals. Its elaborate headdress is shaped like a double-bladed axe carried by two outward-facing, back-to-back human heads. Three neolithic celts, axe-like stones that the Yoruba believe Shango hurls down on his enemies as retribution, are mounted on the heads that separate the axe blades.

But the sculpture’s imagery suggests another interpretation. It doubles as a memorial image of a deceased twin (ere ibeji), which is appropriate, given Shango’s role as the protector of twins. The figure’s indigo-painted coiffure, bulging eyes, and frontal pose are typical of ibeji images. Its copper anklets and assorted beads are symbolic offerings to the twin’s soul to attract her goodwill.

Title Twin Figure for Shango Cult

Artwork Date late 19th or early 20th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Yoruba

Medium Woodcarving, metal, beads, and pigment

Dimensions Overall: 26 × 8 1/8 × 5 inches (66 × 20.6 × 12.7 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department African Art

Credit Museum Purchase, Friends of African and African American Art

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2007.148

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Provenance

(Yassine Art Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA);
2007-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Yoruba, African, Twin Figure for Shango Cult, late 19th or early 20th century, woodcarving, metal, beads, and pigment. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Friends of African and African American Art, 2007.148.