It’s a bit more rare to see an Ashanti fertility
doll, or akuaba, with legs, but here
she is. Typically carried wrapped in a woman’s skirt and
pressed against her back to mimic the position of an infant, the features of
these akuaba correspond to cultural ideals of beauty, which they’re supposed to
encourage in the baby-to-be. Interestingly enough, akuaba dolls are always
female, the reason being that Akan society is matrilineal and it’s the ladies
who perpetuate the family line. As for the name “akuaba,” it means “Akua’s child,” and refers to the
legend of a woman by that name.
More
Once upon a time there was a woman named Akua who
wanted desperately to have a child, but was unable to conceive. Consulting a
priest, she was told to commission the carving of a wooden doll and treat the
fig...
Read More
Once upon a time there was a woman named Akua who
wanted desperately to have a child, but was unable to conceive. Consulting a
priest, she was told to commission the carving of a wooden doll and treat the
figurine like it was the real deal. Laughed at by her neighbors, who teasingly
called the carving akuaba, or “Akua’s
child,” Akua got the last laugh when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
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Details and Dimensions
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