Fertility doll "akua ba" ·  Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3033080

Description

wood, blotched brown patina, of typical form, adorned with turquoise miniature glass beads and a cowrie snail earring (the other one missing), min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
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.