Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Akuaba Doll |
Object ID |
2007.1.4 |
Collection |
AFRICAN |
Object Name |
Figure, Religious |
Material |
Wood |
Dimensions |
H-33.8 W-5.6 cm |
Description |
Asante Carvers are famed for their female dolls, known as Akuaba, which measure between 20 and 40 cm in height and display a stylized elongated body and an enlarged circular head. These dolls, consecrated by priests, are thought to have the power to make barren women conceive and are carried around and treated like a real child by Asante women. After use they are placed in a domestic shrine. Fante and Bono people, who live to the south and north of Asante, also employ Akuaba dolls, but they are carved in a different style. The heads of the Fante dolls are rectangular whereas Bono Akuaba have a triangular profile. |
Credit line |
Courtesy: The Institute of Jamaica |
Legal Status |
This image can be used for educational purposes without restrictions. A higher quality image may attract fees. |
Provenance |
Ghana, Africa |
Web Rights |
In Copyrights |