The Yoruba's cultural perspective of death with special reference to twins

To the Yoruba people of South-West Nigeria, on the West Coast of Africa, death, or transition from one level of existence to another, is well accepted as part of life. Rites of passage are seen as an opportunity for saying farewell to the deceased and seeking their continuous protection of the living members of the families. After the death of a twin, a twin statuette, symbolically representing the departed twin, also acts as a companion and solace to the living twin, This paper examines these subjects including the special rites performed for twins, the relationship of the family to the deceased and the question of reincarnation.