Inno a i e Resea ch Jou nal o Sociology and Humani ies
ISSN(p in 3050-6867, ISSN(online): 3050-6875
Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025
DOI: 10.58806/i ijsh.2025. 2i11n02
Page No: 151 - 156
151 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
A Yo uba My hology: he Twin Con ex in a Place Called Igbo O a
Toyin Fasemi e
Eki i S a e Uni e si y, Facul y o A s, Depa men o His o y and In e na ional S udies, Ado Eki i, Eki i S a e
ABSTRACT
ARTICLE DETAILS
The Twin bi hs among he Yo uba popula ion o he sou hwes pa o Nige ia a e usually
conside ed as ha ing one o he highes occu ences o wins in he wo ld, and he end has
become so ing ained in he cul u al, spi i ual and social li e o he people. Twins, who locally
ha e become known as Ìbejì, exis in a posi ion ha ises abo e biological conside a ions and
gain in e p e a i e weigh in he spi i ual and he cosmological ealm.
The pape elied on bo h p ima y and seconda y sou ces. The p ima y sou ces would be based
on o al in e iews and a chi al ma e ials. Seconda y sou ces on he o he hand, we e included
in li e a u es such as books and newspape s. The o al in e iews would be eco ded and
ansc ibed o analysis. The documen a y da a would be subjec ed o in e nal and ex e nal
c i icism o au hen ica ion and hen o ex ual and con ex ual analysis
The pape con ibu ed o knowledge h ough concep s such as ‘Ibeji’.
KEYWORDS: Ibeji, Twins, F a e nal and Iden ical.
Published On:
05 No embe 2025
A ailable on:
h ps://i ijsh.com/
INTRODUCTION
Yo uba people o sou hwes e n Nige ia see wins (Ibeji) as mo e han biological occu ences. Ra he , Ìbejì a e belie ed o ha e
special spi i ual powe s and a e hough o hold a g ea cosmic meaning. In adi ional Yo uba socie y, ha ing wins is hough o
be a special gi om he gods (in ac wins a e conside ed gods) and equi es ce emonial espec , gi -gi ing and spi i ual i uals
(B.Lawal, 2011). Unlike se e al A ican cul u es like he E ik ha connec wins o bad luck, he Yo uba g ea ly espec wins and
iew hese siblings as ep esen a ions o good o une and blessing o he home hey came in o and a link o hei ances o s. As
no ed by Badmus Lawal "Fo Yo uba people, wins show a s ong link be ween he physical and spi i ual wo lds, wi h wins
connec ing he wo (B.Lawal, 2011). Some kind o connec ion in hough p ocess be ween he spi i ual wo ld and he physical
wo ld. In he womb, he o ma ion o wins in he womb is a ascina ing p ocess (Jazee a, 2025). We ha e wo ypes o Twins
namely: F a e nal, and Iden ical. F a e nal Twins a e o med when wo sepa a e eggs a e e ilized by wo di e en spe m
(Jazee a, 2025). These wins a e like egula siblings, sha ing abou i y pe cen o hei genes while on he o he hand, Iden ical
Twins a e as a esul o when a single e ilized egg (zygo e) spli s and de elops in o wo sepa a e emb yos. These wins sha e
i ually he same gene ic makeup (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022). The e a e p ocesses o win o ma ion. Fo he F a e nal Twins,
we ha e Hype -o ula ion, meaning he mo he eleases wo eggs ins ead o one du ing o ula ion. Fe iliza ion also means ha
each egg is e ilized by a di e en spe m, whils he e m implan a ion means ha bo h e ilized eggs implan sepa a ely in he
u e us, de eloping in o wo emb yos. In he case o he Iden ical wins, he p ocesses a e spli ing o he Zygo e and he Timing
o spli ing. In his case he memb ane a angemen s a e also spli in o wo which a e Ea ly Spli -Twins may ha e sepa a e
placen as; la e Spli would mean Twins o en sha e a placen a. Some ac o s in luencing Twin p egnancies in Igbo O a may jus
be gene ics as i conce ns he ances y his o y which does play a ole, especially o dizygo ic wins.
His o ical and Cul u al Con ex o Twins in Igbo O a
Acco ding o Le oy Fe nand, “Among he Igbo O a people, wins a e seen no jus as child en bu as sac ed beings, possessing
unique powe s ha can in luence bo h he physical and spi i ual wo lds.” (Le oy Fe nand e al, 2002)This diminished kind o
e e ence in e p e s i uals a hei bi h and a he same ime de e mines hei social iden i y and cul u al exp essions o Yo uba.
The Yo uba unde s anding o wins as a pai ed soul is ca ied by he lexical e m Ìbejì, he p oduc o ìbi (bi h) and eji ( wo)
which desc ibes he pe manen cul u al in es men in duali y and balance (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022). The Yo uba Wo ld iew
elies hea ily on he use o complemen a y pai s and hence wins e lec his Wo ld iew (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022). Segun
Olupona poin s ou ha , “The bi h o wins symbolizes ha mony, balance, and cosmic equilib ium, eminding he communi y o
A Yo uba My hology: he Twin Con ex in a Place Called Igbo O a
152 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
he delica e in e play be ween opposing o ces ha sus ain li e. (Olupona, 2014)” This is a cosmological eading ha is e lec ed
in he complex i uals and wo ship cul u es ha accompany wins, and which c ea es e y close links wi h he wins and Yo uba
my hic adi ions and gods (Olupona, 2014). Yo uba his o ical adi ion in Yo uba land indica es he exis ence o a mul i-
dimensional and con adic o y place ha he bi hs o wins occupy in he wo ld o Igbo O a people in he con ex o cul u e and
eligion (Olupona, 2014). Unlike socie ies which pe haps conside winning only as a biological no el y, he Igbo O a people see
i symbolically and eligiously (Oyinloye e al, 2022). They endow he phenomenon o wins wi h complex symbolism acilla ing
be ween espec and ea . Ea ly belie s ein o ce a ine balance be ween iewing wins as a di ine g ace and, on he o he hand, as
a sign o cou se o hings o come. The win no ion has a cen al place in he Yo uba collec ion o my hology (Akinbu o, 2008).
Con en ionally, he olde win is known as Táíwò, his e e s o he one who ge s o as e he wo ld i s whe eas he la e e e ed
o as Kéhìndé and i is he one who comes a e (Akinbu o, 2008). Despi e he ch onological o de o bi h, he eligious di ec ion
iews Táíwò as he wins a a o ma i e s age o spi i ual li e he was sen by gods o check up he s a e o he wo ld in place o
Kéhìndé. This dualism bes p o okes he pos ula ion ha biological senio i y may no always equal p ophe ic p ecedence hence
emphasizing he complica ed ac o in Igbo O a win doc ine. The posi ion o wins in Igbo O a cosmology is ei he ea ul o
lea ned as sac ed objec s; he bi h o he same ma ks a di ine o supe na u al a ou o iewed as he sign o change o measu e
o spi i ual ale ness. Such a ague judgmen es s on he my hical na a ions acco ding o which wins a e he ha binge s o luck,
bu hey can also be causes o chaos i hey a e no paid a en ion o and ea ed wi h pa icula espec (Akinbu o, 2008).
Acco ding o Olajubu, he powe o wins is ambi alen : on one hand, i b ings weal h and secu i y, on he o he hand, b ings e il
when i is no ed as pe spi i ual needs (Olajubu, 2003). Such duo-cen e ed belie sys em emphasizes he necessi y o i e ca e
in ol ing he main enance o E e Ìbejì (ca ed win igu es) and o he i ual ac i i ies designed o main ain ha monious
ela ionships be ween wo wins, hei lineage, and he es o he communi y. The mos impo an pa o Yo uba win wo ship is
he ole played by he god O isha Ìbejì who is he di ine symbol o wins and win lo e s. Obeisance o Ìbejì O isha is a eligious
and cul u al linkage ha p ese es he spi i ual ies o he li ing and hei wins. O isha Sabka says “O isha Ìbejì ep esen s he
mys ic p esence o wins in he physical ealm, se ing as a gua dian spi i and a sou ce o blessing o amilies (Olupona, 2014).”
The god does no only p o ec people bu also “ The i ual sys em ha he Yo uba de o e o Ìbejì in ol es he kind o elabo a e
i uals pe o med unde he di ec ion o p ies s and o he spi i ual expe s which in ol es he use o he E e Ìbejì: highly ca ed
wooden images o spi i s o he babies which became wins (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022).” These i ems a e no ac ually conside ed
being pieces o a bu a e conside ed o be ecep acles o he depa ed soul o he wins hence e aining he wins in he ances al
chain. The Igbo O a belie ed ha his is because he mo he s ea he E e Ìbejì as hough hey we e li e child en, gi ing hem
ood, clo hing and o e ing i ual p aye s- an ac ion ha is a es amen o he Yo uba belie o he unending o he connec ion
be ween he li ing and he dead (Oyinloye & al, 2022). “The wooden wins a e anima ed h ough i ual ca e, making he spi i ual
angible and ensu ing he win spi i s’ ongoing pa icipa ion in he amily’s li e (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022).” The me apho ical
unde s andings o wins, he e o e, e lec s on a wide iew o he wo ld among he Igbo O a whe e hey iew dea h and li e as
in e ela ed, and he spi i ual wo ld has a s ong in luence on he physical ealm (B.Lawal, 2011). Twins a e conside ed a
h eshold be ween wha is isible and wha is in isible, and hey mus be gi en due a en ion which will sus ain social well-being.
I is impo an ha he wins be espec ed since hey a e powe ul in e media ies be ween man and God; when no heeded o
espec ed hey will b ing ha oc and mis o une (Olupona, 2014). The e o e, he high posi ion in social hie a chy o wins and hei
amilies can be ully explained by he logic o he Yo uba cul u e whe e hey a e e en g ee ed by endu ing espec and lo e.
Twins in hei u n in Yo uba cul u e co espond o he p inciple o hei Yo uba cul u e based on duali y ha p e ails in his
cul u e and adi ion and is embodied in he Yo uba philosophy and eligion (Oyinloye & al, 2022). Twin bi hs a e hough o as
balancing li s ha a ain ha mony be ween li e and dea h, happiness and sadness and hey in luence ha mony in he cosmic o de .
This symbolism is ocalized lucidly in he o al adi ions and olklo es whe e wins end o be desc ibed as mys ical en i ies wi h
supe na u al powe s. In ac , one p o e b, namely, Ibeji kì pa a a won ansla ed o mean wins do no kill one ano he unde lines
he basic uni y and he p o ec ion o one ano he . Igbo O a socie y has expe ienced conside able change as ega ds o
mode niza ion and eligious e olu ion bu in a sense, ado a ion o wins and p ac ice o Ò ìsa Ibeji s ill e ol e in e e y way
possible. These adi ions ha e been able o bend wi hou losing hei mos impo an spi i ual alues, and a e s ill playing ou in
amily o ganiza ion, celeb a ions, and a wo k. The con inued exis ence o win i uals gi es c edence o hei cen ali y in
main aining iden i y and he con inui y o he Yo uba cul u e in an e e -changing socio-cul u al clima e. The his o ical
ela ionship o he Yo uba popula ions wi h wins can be seen as a blend o awe and e o , since i ollows an A ican
cosmological ou look domina ed by he e hic o balance and he expec a ion o a h ea o he na u al o de (Jazee a, 2025). The
bi h o wins, in some ins ances, was seen as some hing abno mal, as an e en ha was supe na u al ha con adic ed no mal
human concep ion p ocess, so his esul ed in o eelings o e e ence and suspicion. I is echoed in ea ly Igbo O a p ac ice, whe e
wins we e some imes in e p e ed as spi i ual beings o beings somehow no oo ed in he physical wo ld, and hei bi h he e o e
a sign o po en equi ing he close managemen o i ual o a oid disas e . E en hough ea s abou he bi h o wins a e well-
A Yo uba My hology: he Twin Con ex in a Place Called Igbo O a
153 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
documen ed in Igbo O a socie ies, hey did no b ing abou a s aigh o wa d case o social exclusion bu a mul i unc ional clus e
o di e en p ac ices ha we e applied in he a emp o hono and appease he spi i ual o ces ha we e gene ally ela ed o he
bi hs o his na u e. Th ough gene a ions, wins gained he s a us o sac ed c ea u es, he pe sonali ies be ween he laye s o he
human and di ine wo lds. Indeed, as he e hnog aphic desc ip ion o Bascom emphasizes, “The Igbo O a people ega ded wins as
possessing p o ec i e and bene icen quali ies, capable o in luencing o une and mis o une wi hin he amily and communi y
(Bascom, 1969).” This is no only seen in he p ocess o i ual bu also in he supe io social s anding gi en o amilies whose
Yang is in he o m o wins. The win bi hs a e mos p ominen in he own o Igbo-O a, so called he win capi al o he wo ld,
whe e s udies ca ied ou by O uene has epo ed one o he highes a es o wins among he en i e popula ion o he wo ld
(O uene, 1983). Such demog aphic end no only models Yo uba cul u al a i udes, bu ice e sa. The ex eme le el o wins in
his a ea also highligh s hei cul u al ocus and i has led o he de elopmen o special wins’ es i als and i uals c ea ed o
celeb a e he wins and hei spi i ual p esence. “The p e alence o wins in Igbo-O a is no me ely a biological cu iosi y bu a
de ining ea u e o he communi y’s iden i y and eligious li e. (O uene, 1983)” Spi i ual obliga ions a e no he only communi y
expec a ions when i comes o wins hese a e coupled wi h special social esponsibili ies: wins, hei amilies, and he mo he s o
wins a e gi en special a en ion du ing communal e en s and o he communal es i als and ce emonies and he mo he s o wins
will ha e ce ain social ad an ages a ached o hem due o hei posi ion ha is closes o he di ine in he communi y (O uene,
1983). Mo eo e , wins a e supposed o ins ill he p inciples o me gence and uni y hence ep esen ing he Yo uba philosophical
ideal o he uni y. Idowu no es ha “ he Yo uba communi y in es s wins wi h expec a ions ha anscend indi idual iden i y,
posi ioning hem as exempla s o social cohesion and spi i ual balance. (Idowu, 1962)”
I s local winning a e is highe han ha o he wo ld which is 12 in e e y 1,000 o he li e bi hs and some o he esul s e en
sugges 158 in e e y 1,000 (Idowu, 1962). This is despi e he a ying explana ions d awn; howe e , he edi a y ac o s in he
Iba apa people and en i onmen al-based easons a e commonly men ioned especially he die a y habi s. ok a lea es and amala,
being meals o he adi ional meal composed o yam o cassa a lou , a e ou inely consumed by local women as a means o
helping hem o be e ile and o aise he chances o a e nal wins. Es ogens in he local yams ha e been p oposed as a
subs ance ha will induce hype o ula ion, bu his has no p o ed conclusi ely h ough empi ical esea ch especially in
Uni e si y o Lagos Teaching Hospi al (O uene, 1983). On he whole, such da a highligh s he uniqueness o Igbo-O a as a
demog aphic anomaly o in e na ional conce n. The his o y o Igbo-O a is compounded, ollowing ans-Yo uba mig a ion ends
wi h he se lemen name changed h ough he yea s as successi e g oups o people c ossed o es ed, mois a eas, wi h he
p og ession o he name-Igbo-I a ( o es o he swamp) o Igbo-O a. Twinning in he con ex o lineages o he Old Oyo Empi e
and he wide Yo uba has been a cul u ally signi ican -p ac ice o e cen u ies wi hin he milieu o descendan s and he wide
Yo uba. As an example, he de endan , he cu en Olu o Igbo-O a, habi ually e e s o wins as godly endowmen s o be pa o
he local legend and o al na a ion. Oba Awoni an Adelani, he Alàsàkó o Asàkó-Igboo a, makes i clea ha he naming o Igbo-
O a, he land o wins has o be unde s ood in he ligh o i s spi i ual and his o ical oo s. Du ing an o al in e iew, he king
expe ienced, “In any o he own wins a e no exclusi ely ound bu he e is Igbo-O a own (Oyinloye & al, 2022)” which is
unique. He no ed he p e alen p aise-chan among Yo uba o link wins wi h Ìsòkún (as in he o ikì, Ìji ẹ a a Ìsòkún); people bo n
as wins ha e been closely linked wi h ha place, chie ly; bu ha i is Igbo-O a, he emphasized, ha o ms he ac ual spi i ual and
physical beginning o wins. "He e, high win bi h is no a me e coincidence," he Oba expounded (al, 2002). I is a na u al
esou ce ha Oloduma e has p o ided o IgboO a-Asako people. And you canno begin o speak o any o igin o Igbo-O a wi hou
s a ing a Asako because he e i is he oo . This he i age was suppo ed by he Olu o Igbo-O a, Oba Olujide Ti iloye, on
communal and indi idual le els. This I did no ead in a book o hea someone say-I also ha e had wins. Twins a e kids al igh
bu when you o de one good hing hen you a e gi en wo ha is he abundance o God. The anima ed landscape o he own is
an indica ion o symbolic con i ma ion o he abo e asse ion. Lining up on he on o he palace o he Olu o Igbo-O a a e wo
gian baobab ees acco ding o he desc ip ion o Kehinde Dahunsi who is a na i e o he a ea. The elde s in he communi y
na a e how long hese ees ha e been he e since gene a ions and a e supposed o ha e spi i ual connec ions wi h he high a e o
win bi hs in Igbo O a Engaging in a u he analysis, Oba Awoni an en enches ha he win associa ion o IgboO a has an
his o ic connec ion oo ed o a pe iod o I a di ina ion in he es ablishmen o he se lemen (Gee z, 2017). He explains ha ex
o his o acle "Òwón hin Mejii" appea ed and o e old ha only by making a sac i ice o pai ed objec s and wo shiping o "O isa
Ibeji" secu i y agains wa and abundance will be achie ed (Oyinloye & al, 2022). Acco ding o hese ins uc ions, he ounde s
made he equi ed sac i ice and, as i was o be expec ed, he popula ion was p o ided wi h sa e y agains mili a y con on a ion
(Akinbu o, 2008). This o de came o be in e p e ed as p o ec i e and p ophe ic: besides spa ing people he wa , I a p ophesied
abou gene a ions o come a high a e o incidence o wins being bo n. The people ended up lea ing Asako o hei cu en
loca ion and li ed as hey endu ed he ensuing ha es bu he memo y o such ea ly di ina ion con inues o be pa and pa cel o
who hey a e as a collec i e people. Asako is cu en ly an independen own and has managed o main ain a lo o ances al
compounds bu i s ill main ains i s his o y and spi i ual capi al as he c adle o Igbo-O a. In he social-cul u al con ex o he
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154 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
own, such demog aphic anomaly as winning is much mo e signi ican han he di e ence in amily size: i di ec s he symbolism
o he communi y and economic iden i y. This peculia i y is he co e o a success ul cul u al- ou is business. The expe ience o
isi o s isi ing he own is indeed mind blowing o hem.
In he Yo uba an h opology, he wins play a ole o sha p p es ige ha goes way beyond he limi ha is a ached o hem due o
being wins and a e pe mea ed wi h a ious cul u al h eads o symbolism and spi i ual implica ions and social ein en ions. This
aising is closely allied wi h he widesp ead ideas o e ili y, weal h, and spi i ual powe hus making he wins he main symbols
o Yo uba sha ed iden i y. Twins a e no o dina y child en bo n o a mo he , bu di ine a ou and spi i ual powe , he hopes o a
g oup on i s u u e sus enance and p ospe i y. This p ospec is an ul ima e ep esen a ion o he Yo uba cosmological desc ip ion
o wins as agen s o des ina ion: he bi h o wins b ings elici y o he socie y and he ha mony o he cosmos. The spi i ual
essence o wins is con i med wi h he help o O isha Ibeji (ad iso o wins), which symbolically ies hei spi i ual s eng h o
ge mina ion and success and also se es as an eso e ic p o ec o and bene ac o . This connec ion by saying ha , O isha Ìbejì
b ings e ili y, p o ec ion and p ospe i y o amilies and communi ies as well as a li ing exp ession o Yo uba spi i ual powe .
The e o e, he ep oduc ion o wins in a amily is no jus a biological bu indeed spi i ual. I is he sign o Godly blessing and
spi i ual powe . Vene a ion o wins is a cosmic de i a ion ha human ep oduc ion and social expansion a e insepa ably bound o
spi i ual a o s and social omniscience. He ein, wins and he symbolism ha su ounds hem a e used o uni y he o unes o he
amily wi h he s a e o gene al heal h and uni y o he bigge communi y. Ri uals ela ed o wins in a communi y o m he cen al
p ocesses o social in eg a ion and con inua ion o a cul u e in Yo uba communi y. These igh s a e no limi ed o he nuclea
amily as hey ely on b oad kinship ne wo ks, skilled spi i ual ope a o s and espec ed elde s. The mos appa en example o his
is he Ìbejì annual es i al which is a ema kable communal e en ha ein o ces hei communal alues and iden i y h ough
li u gical pe o mances, cho eog aphy and sac i ices. Twin i uals combine no only he oles o a p o ec ion gi bu also a means
o social in eg a ion whe e membe s sha e uni o m eligious expe iences and enhance iendships. In such a way, such i es also
wo k on spi i ual, social, and cul u al le els s eng hening he sense o oge he ness and p ese ing he cul u al memo y. Twin
also ea u es hea ily in he a and li e a u e o he Igbo O a and o e powe ul ways o a icula ing iden i y and con inui y. The
mos ecognizable a o m on he day o he phenomenon is he E e Ìbejì-wooden sculp u es ha ep esen he spi i s o dead
wins. The epe i i e na u e o such i uals main ains a cons an connec ion be ween he p e ailing eali y and he spi i ual wo ld,
so ha he membe s o he communi y do no o ge abou his sou ce o join li e. The cul u e o wins is hus s aged also by he
comp ehensi e adi ion o li e a u e and o al adi ion. Twins a e songs, p o e bs, and olk ales explaining he powe o uni y and
p o ec ion hence a con ex o wins and he own o Igbo O a is he eby s udied
The Igbo O a Con ex
Igbo-O a, undoub edly, is mo e han a place wi h a high win bi h a e o Yo uba people; i is a sanc i ied place ied o
adi ions, olklo es, my hs and ce emonies su ounding win bi hs. A ican communi ies ha e o med many adi ions abou
wins which include spi i ual discussions, gi ing names (o úko àmú ọ unwá), making o e ings o Èṣù and O ìṣà Ìbejì and big
es i als o celeb a e he sa e y and g ow h o wins. Despi e he s eng h and he in luence o Ch is iani y, Islam, globaliza ion
and u baniza ion has educed o challenged some o hese adi ions. The e o e, his wo k looks in o how Igbo-O a’s win i uals
emained s ong and adap ed o be p ac iced ou side hei communi y in Yo uba land despi e he in luence o Ch is iani y and
Islam. Hence his s udy mainly sc u inizes how ce ain Yo uba win i uals a e in luenced by he impac o Ch is iani y and Islam.
E en hough some s udies like ha o Ola inmoye and Alogba, did analyze aspec s o Yo uba cus oms and belie s, how wins a e
ca ed o and he e ec s on hei iden i ies, belie s and cul u e ha e no been s udied as much (Ola inoye & Alogba, 2022). The
s udy looks in o wha adi ional belie s and ce emonies a e common among wins in Igbo O a people. How do win i uals
suppo he iden i y o he Yo uba cul u e and uniqueness among he Igbo O a people? Wha changes ha e hese pu in o p ac ices
made in esponse o he impac o he new global age, changes in eligion and globaliza ion? The ques ions help us be e ealize
how indigenous g oups espond o and adjus o changes o e ime. The majo aim o his esea che a e: To s udy egula win
i e in Igbo O a and wha hey indica e abou he cul u e; o ind ou how hese sac amen s s eng hen Igbo O a adi ions; and o
analyze how such adi ions ha e been a ec ed by changes in eligion, he mode n wo ld and inc eased global awa eness.
The in en ion o his esea che espoused he meaning o he concep o i ual. Fo his s udy, a i ual is conside ed a speci ic se o
ac ions wi hin a pa icula cul u al o eligious amewo k ha is pe o med in a pa icula o de wi h symbolic signi icance. Some
schola s like Cli o d Gee z belie e ha i uals help in s eng hening social ela ionships, con eying dominan socio cul u al
no ms, and ensu ing he p ese a ion and con inui y o p ac ices ac oss a ious age g oups (Gee z, 2017). He also a gues ha
i uals do no simply e lec bu cons uc eal social wo lds as hey make h ough a symbol and make wo lds and hemsel es. An
example o such i uals is among he Igbo O a people, whe e he e a e win i uals ha aid in he pe pe ua ion o cul u al
pe cep ion and alue o wins.
Iden i y is de ined as he pe sonal idea o onesel wi hin socie y, including bu no limi ed o na ionali y, e hnici y, eligion, and
cul u e. S ua Hall ema ks ha uniqueness o iden i y could e ol e o e ime due o di e en cul u es and his o y. In he case o
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155 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
he Igbo O a people, he cul u al olklo es o he people we e hei p ide signi ying he ami ica ions ha he win phenomenon
has on hem and collec i ely. They claim ha wins ha e always been espec ed in Igbo O a belie es and cul u e, as people
belie e wins ha e supe na u al abili ies. I unde lines ha i uals, o e ings and E e Ibeji help o ecognize and espec he wins’
place in he socie y (Jazee a, 2025). The Yo uba ca ing p ac ice o E e Ìbejì, which ep esen s wins who passed away, shows he
spi i o li ing indi iduals and he close bond be ween li e and dea h (Idowu, 1962). These ca ings se e mo e pu pose han o
simply emembe each win; hey a e belie ed o con ain he essence o he wins hemsel es. Howe e , hese igu es de oid o
any li e, ye hey calls o nu u ing wi h obliga ion equal o ha o a bea ing he ole o a mo he . Unlike o he socie ies, he
Yo uba people demons a e belie unlike many in he exis ence and e ec o he i age spi i s on one's li e. Twins ep esen he way
li e and dea h, joy and so ow and o he dual pa s o li e a e linked. I is clea in many Yo uba my hs and i uals ha ocus on
balance and ha mony.
CONCLUSION
The ques ion o wha go e ns he Igbo O a win p ecedence? Spi i ual ac o o Biological ac o s: The esea che is con inced
ha bo h could be ound culpable in Twin p ocessing and he high numbe o wins in Igbo O a.
Acco ding o one o he Yo uba p o e bs, which ha e emained p ominen o e ime, he Yo uba people hold ce ain belie s wi h
ega ds o wins as e idenced by, Ibeji ki pa a a won - wins do no kill each o he - abou hei insepa abili y, and coexis ence
oge he (Gee z, 2017). These o al accoun s a e pa o mnemonic mechanisms h ough which cul u al alues, social no ms, and
his o ical memo y a e passed on by one gene a ion o ano he so ha he symbolism o wins has been p ese ed as a li ing, well-
i alized pa o Yo uba socie y. Also, he a is ic and cul u al s a us o wins is consis en wi h he philosophical concep o
duali y and balance o he Yo uba people ha c osses o e mos elemen s o hei wo ld.
The win i ual and cul u al iden i y in Igbo-O a and ex ension o he es o he Yo uba would highligh an immensely ele an
in e ace o ai h, science, cul u e and social conno a ion. The anomalous high a es o win bi hs in Yo uba land and especially
Igbo-O a, hen, a om being a demog aphic excep ion, u n ou o be a de e minan building block o cul u al iden i y,
communal exis ence and spi i ual awa eness. The my hological s o ies ocused on O isa ibeji and p ac ical p ac ices o naming
ce emonies, p o ec ion as well as yea ly es i als, wins a e alued as blessed c ea u es whose exis ence b ings upon blessings,
weal h and succession. This is being ac ualized and embodied ma e ially in symbolic a e ac s like e e Ìbejì and socially
ep oduced in communal habi s and mechanisms which suppo communal memo y and iden i y. Loca ing he phenomenon o he
win i uals in he con ex o he es o he Yo uba cul u e, his s udy con ibu es o he eme ging p oli e a ion o discussions o
i ual and iden i y wi hin he A ican adi ions o cul u e, illus a ing ha i ual is no a ixed objec in ime, bu an e ol ing and
dynamic p ocess ha is adap i e and esponsi e o his o ical and social ans o ma ion. I also b ings ou he symbolism ichness
inhe en in ene a ion o wins in Yo uba, who hold s ong indigenous eligious sys em, and some de elop changing cosmological
belie s. The s udy gi es li e o he manne in which he adi ional knowledge and my h as well as ma e ial cul u e mee s he
mode n, con empo a y o ces like he chu ch and medicine as well as in e na ionaliza ion wi h he help o an analysis o he
p ac ices wo hy o choice in Igbo-O a. The na u e o subsequen cul u al assimila ion has no elimina ed he inciden s o win
i uals, bu has in ac changed hese p ac ices o ha o hyb idiza ion hence s ill main aining he weigh o meaning o he olde
and younge gene a ions. The s udy p esen s bo h policy implica ion and cul u al p ese a ion. I shows ha a communi y-based
es i al like he "Wo ld Twins Fes i al" mus be able o be iewed no only as a ou ism a ac ion bu as a li ing he i age ha
upholds he na i e alues and ene gizes local economies. Such i uals ough o be inco po a ed in cu iculum lines especially in
cou ses dealing wi h A ican s udies as a means o each app ecia ion o indigenous ways o knowing. Heal h policies ha in e ac
wi h di e en popula ions, including Igbo-O a, would also bene i om in ol ing he aspec o cul u e in ep oduc i e heal h and
he bi h o wins. In some ways, u u e esea ch could ex end his wo k o a compa a i e s udy o one o mo e A ican peoples
assess he means by which Diaspo a socie ies media e win iden i y, o explo e he in e play be ween win ship and gende ,
disabili y, and he exe cise o spi i ual au ho i y. Taken oge he , hese lines o esea ch imp o e he unde s anding o how
A ican cul u es a e s ill se ling he ension be ween adi ion and change a a speedily changing wo ld.
Acco ding o Duyile William Abiodun, he colonial impac on in as uc u e mus be seen o be exploi a i e (Duyile, Ediagbonya,
Buha i, & Nwachukwu, 2020)) bu in mos cases he cul u e o he people emained in ac . He u he bu essed his iews h ough
he p ism o mig a ion, poli ics and cul u e; ( Duyile, William Abiodun, 2021 (Duyile, Economic In eg a ion in Wes A ica,
1960-1975: An Enqui y in o he Pas , 2021)) and he ook cognizance ha Nige ia is a mono-economy s a e (Duyile &
Nwachukwu, 'Japa' Phenomenon and Nige ian S uden s in he Mix o a P oxy wa in Uk aine, 2023).
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156 Volume 02 Issue 11 No embe 2025 Co esponding Au ho : Toyin Fasemi e
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