Fertility doll "akua ba"
Ghana, Ashanti
not available anymore
Provenance
Max Willborg, Stockholm, SwedenSize
H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch
Description
wood, spotty brown patina, typical form, min. dam., traces of abrasion, on wooden base;
women used to carry them on their back before and during pregnancy and used to treat them like real children. They gained their magical power from a deity via the diviner’s blessing. After childbirth, they were either dedicated to the deity, placed on a shrine, or they were given to a child for playing.