As I mentioned before, being a Manyi opened my eyes to the significance of twins in West African culture. Through my research so far I have discovered that most ethnic groups in Cameroon and Nigeria have had some kind of reaction to the birth of twins. From what I've read and the people I've spoken to, it seems that most of them heralds twins as gifts from God. Twins are also often seen as a double edged sword. They are indeed gifts from God but also posses divine powers with the ability to harm those who cause them displeasure. The parents especially must be careful in how they treat their twins for the twins can either die or cause illness to befall those who cross them wrongly. I've been told that many twins are spoiled as everyone lets them do as they wish.
Traditionally there were several rites and rituals performed when twins were born. With the introduction of Christianity these rituals were frowned upon and nearly stopped. The Grassfields have only really been influenced by Christianity for the last 40-60 years so many of the traditional practices are still remembered. This area is also reported to have an indigenous written language so these practices would have been carefully recorded. It has been observed in the last decade many traditional rituals have been revised as so many twins were actually dying! The people noticed that only when twins were treated with utmost respect and fed salt and palm oil did they grow healthy and strong. As an ethnoarchaeology student I am interested in physical items associated with twin rituals. If an archaeologist excavates a village, how will this person recognize that twins were present? What can they look for to distinguish between a house where twins lived and a house where a regular child lived? How can twins be recognized in a grave yard? What is different about a twins' life and death? There had been a lot of ethnographies written about this area, but not many specifically target twins. The problem with those that do target twin culture is that they do not describe the material items associated with rituals. This is where my work will have to fill in the blanks.
The Oku Kingdom:
In the Oku tradition of the Western Grassfields twins are definitely highly regarded as magical beings with the ability to play tricks or even harm others if not treated appropriately. Twins are fed a mixture of ritual brown salt and oil at birth and a special ritual is performed. A mother of twins must carry a long neck calabash (a gourd) when she goes out in public. This is corked with a dracaena plant leaf, this plant is often associated with twins in Cameroon.
Twins are not given any masks or sculptures in the Oku kingdom but they have some traditional items. They are not given anything separately but share each ritual object. They are given a single bag, a single clay soup pot and a decorated clay wine pot. The pots are painted in the middle with a large eye, black in the centre surrounded by white. Three horizontal white lines are drawn with a finger at its mouth…the white colour is made from kaolin (a chalky white clay also known as Calabar chalk). This pot sits on a circular base of banana leaves with a garland of kefu feyin creeper tied round the mouth of the pot. It is important to note such stylistic differences so we may notice this in an excavation. If an archaeologist found such a pot from a long ago village, they would know it is special for twins!
When a twin dies it is buried as fast as possible with two leafless neck garlands. If one is living, it is given salt and oil and the twin rite is performed. If both die before the ritual, then they are buried with no ceremony, the Oku do not believe in reincarnation and once a child is dead, it is gone. At birth the placentas are buried in two separate but adjacent graves, if the twins die at this time the placentas are still buried but are buried at the twin specialist’s home while the twins are buried at the father’s home.
Small reptiles and insects are considered the animals of twins, they can transform into these, and must not be killed by the parents of twins
The Kedjom:
Among the Kedjom twins are considered to be children of God and are treated as such. Gods are worshipped at conspicuous places such as waterfalls, pools or the base of striking and unusual trees. People join at these places to ‘feed’ the God on a shrine that consists of a large, flat stone approximately 18-24 inches in length. Planted on either side is the nkung plant, a type of dracaena. This is a fast growing green plant that remains such in times of drought. This plant seems to be associated with twins all over the Grassfields. These shrines are placed in compounds in the village at the entrance of the father of twins’ compound. They are identical to the one made for Gods. If there are two boys, the shrine is placed on the right of the path leading to the compound, two girls means the shrine is on the left and one of each allows this shrine to be on either side. The plants are placed on either side in the same position as at the God's shrine.
A striking and prominent shrine is also found within the kitchen of a twin mother. This consists of a collection of large and small clay pots and calabashes, a rattle and two snail shells. These are used for mixing the medicine and food used by the twins, their parents, their siblings and any other parents of twins who visit.
As twins are associated with fertility, a garden space is dedicated to the twins. Parents of twins plant two beds of plants in the centre of the farm and a dracaena seedling is planted on either end. The special status of these beds is marked by four corncobs tied together by the twin’s mother and left at the site. The corn harvested from these beds is kept aside and used as the seeds for the next year’s crops
The Nsei:
The Nsei people confine the mother and twins behind a fence for several years. When the fence is taken down, there is a great feast. A twin pot decorated with a large red spot surrounded by a black circle is put in the mother’s house. This post contains palm wine mixture with some large snail shells. This is noteworthy as generally cowri shells are used for rituals. Snail shells would be unusual and may survive in the archaeological record.
The Kpe of Coastal Cameroon:
Found along the coast, they are a Bantu speaking peoples. In this culture twins are considered a difficult thing and rituals are performed when a pregnancy is discovered to prevent twins. They are often sickly, they are difficult to nurture and it is believed if the twin does not like the house it is born into then it will die. Twins are welcomed if born, but are viewed with apprehension.
Twins and first-born children dying in infancy are buried with no coffin, in mwendene leaves (these grow to a large size, up to 1 ft. 6 ins. In length), the reason for this being to prevent such children being born again. I've been told that some children belong to the underworld and are born just to vex their parents by dying in infancy again and again. When such children are identified, by a diviner or the parents themselves (the parents will recognize this because each time this child is born it stays for three months and then dies), to prevent this from happening the above rite is used, or in the South-West province they will cut a limb, or finger or toe off the deceased baby so that the underworld will reject its return and it will be forced to be reborn to the parents and live. One account of a girl in Kumba holds that she had been born and died five times to the same parents. They cut her left arm off just below the elbow before her final burial. The next child born to these parents was missing an arm below the left elbow. This applies to twins as they are also considered children of the underworld. This accounts for their mystical and magical powers accredited to them.
The Yoruba of Nigeria:
Originally the Yoruba would kill twins and possible their mother. They believed twins were evil portents and that the mother had to have been with two men to have two children at once. This practice was abandoned in precolonial times except for the Igbo people of Onitsha. They held on to this idea that twins were an abomination that must be killed up until the introduction of Christianity. Now twin shrines and special observances have replaced traditional infanticide.The acceptance of twins into Yoruba society is explained by a myth that they are of divine origin and the descendants of monkeys. They must be treated with respect to gain prosperity for their family.
The Yoruba twin rituals have been studied more than any group in West Africa. They have the unusual rite of carving a wooden ibeji figure in place of a dead twin. This precaution evolves from the belief that twins possess one soul between the two of them, and with the death of one twin the living twin could not live with half a soul. The deceased twin's half soul is believed to live in the ibeji figure. The ibeji is treated exactly as the living twin, it is clothed in similar garments, and 'fed' during meal times. It is also carried by the mother when she goes to the market. When the living twin reaches maturity the ibeji is handed over to them to care for. Ibeji figures have been so studied as they have lineage symbols carved into each one and act as an almost written record of family trees.
Fertility and Metalworking:
As twins are seen as representative of an almost hyper fertility they are used to describe many events relating to the success of crops and events such as metal working. As mentioned, certain crops and plants are associated with twins. There is often a communal area for twin crops where the families of twins plant and harvest the seeds for continual success for the next season. Twins are magical beings of divine origin and will bless all who treat them as such. This blessing transfers to the entire village if the correct rituals are performed. It is common for a Manyi to be held up in the market by people giving gifts and asking for fertility blessings. It is also common for people to treat me with this kind of respect at our local gatherings. My husband and I toast to the next Tanyi, the president of the organization, who is wanting to have twins the next time around. Although there is some jesting associated with these toasts, there is also an underlying hope that we will impart some of our own fertility success to to others.
In metal working the forge is often referred to as a body, and the process of making metal like a birth. If a forge is very successful a double bloom will be produced, like twins. Smithing is generally considered a male activity although among the Gbaya a woman born a twin may take up working the forge. Clearly the status of twin ship outweighs any cultural gender roles in this case. Among the Ekonda only smelters, hunters specializing in elephant traps, and fathers of twins may consume the prescribed menu of chicken, fish, palm oil, cane rat, and bananas. Once again this demonstrates the connection to the forge and the transcendence of status.
In many cultures the firing of the forge is associated with the fire it takes to make a baby. Twins are often thought of as the result of excessive firing in the uterus, and therefore have excessive power. In the We cultural traditions the firing is definitely associated with birth. When a double bloom is produced it would then be considered that the furnace had delivered twins, and then the smelters would perform the same birth celebration as for twins, with twin dances and songs. They would slaughter a goat and the whole village would rejoice. Just as twins represent ultimate human fertility, a double bloom was considered 'divine favour' to be celebrated.
Conclusion:
As you are able to read, the role of twins in West Africa is unique and significant. There has to be some evidence of this in the archaeological record, this research will enable an archaeologist to recognize it. Mythological associations with twins are found in many cultures around the world but the God-like magic given them in the Grassfields is unusual. Other interesting things that may be determined from the presence of twins in the record is status change. I have concentrated on the material culture for this site, but there is abundant information pointing to a change in status of twins and their parents. In Bangolan a Manyi and Tanyi are elevated to the level of a fon and are not expected to bow in his presence. As related by several works, there are changes that cross traditional gender roles and occupations as well. A female twin may become a smith, a twin may become a ritual specialist.
Twins also produce a high amount of material culture. If one finds a certain patterned pot or a twins shrine near a compound then it becomes possible to expand this find into a cultural application. It becomes easier to postulate the status relations and roles in that compound in that village. I am excited by the possibilities this research carries, I hope you are too.
By: Dr. D. Lyons
