Fertility doll "ikoku" ·  Kenya, Turkana · ID: 3033734

Description

light brown wood, metal wire, showing reduced, elegant forms, ears, neck and hips adorned with strings of glass beads, wearing a leather apron with strings of small vertebrae and seed vessels attached, min. dam., on wooden base;
with 200 000 people the Turkana form one of the most important nomadic people of Kenya. Their homeland is Turkanaland in the north of Kenya, in the area around Lake Turkana. The making of dolls is traditonal. The dolls are carved by the father and decorated by the mother. After having reached puberty, the young girls use them for practicing their later role of motherhood. The tapering leather apron is typical for unmarried young girls.

Comparing literature

Bofinger, Brigitte und Wolfgang, Puppen aus Afrika, Stuttgart 2006, p. 79