Fertility doll "akua ba" ·  Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3033876

Description

wood, black patina, of typical form, coloured strings of glass beads, rep. (left arm), min. dam., minor missing parts, on metal base;
these dolls are supposed to encourage fertility. Women used to carry them on their back before and during pregnancy and used to treat them as 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.

Comparing literature

Dagan, Esther A., African Dolls for play and magic, Montreal 1990, p. 71