which denotes things of unusual form. The twins are
given identical names that have the same meaning.
At times, the names are unisex. In the past in
Southern Africa, when someone gave birth to
twins, both were killed. This was done because it
was believed that if they were left to live they would
cause some natural catastrophes that would affect
the entire society. Because deliveries were conducted
by midwives, the husband was not told about the
anomaly. The killing was done secretly by elderly
midwives. Even when people stopped the practice
of killing twins, the underlying belief still remained
that twins do not survive.
There is a belief that twins have a natural link
in their state of health. If one falls sick, the other
is expected to experience the same illness. For
instance, if one has a headache, it is believed that
the other will have it also. If one of them dies,
some rituals have to be conducted so that the
other can survive.
On twins’ birth order, people believe that the
one who comes out first is young, whereas the
last is the senior. The senior one is believed to
have pushed the junior to exit first out of the
womb at birth. So the senior exhibits leadership
qualities. Also, as children at play, twins’ pat-
terns of behavior are the same. They do many
things together. They behave in the same way
and share the same experiences. If one is beaten,
the other shares the same pain. When they go to
bed, they sleep on the same bed regardless of
their sexuality. Likewise, it is believed that twins
wear the same clothes, or the same color for the
opposite sex, and that if one twin attains success,
the other expects the same. If one is given some-
thing, then the other expects the same gift.Twins 677Two identical Lossi masked dancers mirror each other’s steps precisely,illustrating the Yoruba belief that twins share the same soul
and are inextricably linked through life.
Source: Carol Beckwith/Angela Fisher/Getty Images.