Fertility doll "akua ba" ·  Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3032462

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.