Akua'ba Doll

Typically small, Akua’ba figures are wooden with cruciform bodies and disk-shaped heads, and served as talismans for barren Ashanti women in Ghana. Priests blessed and “activated” the figures, instructing women to care for them as they would a newborn child. Women often carried them in the waistband of their skirt (as Ashanti babies are carried), presented them with strands of beads as gifts, and projected onto the figures their hopes for a beautiful, healthy baby. It was believed that by interacting with the figure (each decorated with unique symbolism), one would deliver an attractive child and know how to care for it.

The back of the head features geometric ideographs, which refer to adinkra (symbols of concepts) and Ashanti proverbs. Originally, strands of beads or fibers would have been pulled through holes around its head. The beads around the figure’s neck would be given to the newborn, transferring to it the magical and health-related properties of the figure. The unusually tall height of this example suggests it may have been displayed rather than worn, as it would be impractical to carry.