Akua'ba
Culture: Asante/Akan.
Location: Ghana.
Date: Early 20th Century.
Medium:Stained Wood.
(Photograph From ARTstor)
The Akua’ba is made by the Asante people. The Akua’ba is generally made of wood and is done so by carving. The piece consists of a flat, circular or oval-shaped head. The flatness of the head is exaggerated because it is the Asante’s version of an ideal woman.6 The figure also is abstract in the way that it has a long cylindrical neck, and shorter arms that extend outward with a stump for legs. The Akua’ba represents fertility to the Asante peoples. These dolls are used by the Asante women. The women purchase these dolls and then take care of them as if it were a real newborn. They feed, dress, bathe, and carry around the figure as if it is a real baby. The Asante/Akan women that desire a newborn will care for these dolls the way a real child would be taken care of in hopes of one day having a beautiful baby.
6 Monica Blackmun Visona, A History of Art in Africa. (Pentice Hall, 2001), 211.
Location: Ghana.
Date: Early 20th Century.
Medium:Stained Wood.
(Photograph From ARTstor)
The Akua’ba is made by the Asante people. The Akua’ba is generally made of wood and is done so by carving. The piece consists of a flat, circular or oval-shaped head. The flatness of the head is exaggerated because it is the Asante’s version of an ideal woman.6 The figure also is abstract in the way that it has a long cylindrical neck, and shorter arms that extend outward with a stump for legs. The Akua’ba represents fertility to the Asante peoples. These dolls are used by the Asante women. The women purchase these dolls and then take care of them as if it were a real newborn. They feed, dress, bathe, and carry around the figure as if it is a real baby. The Asante/Akan women that desire a newborn will care for these dolls the way a real child would be taken care of in hopes of one day having a beautiful baby.
6 Monica Blackmun Visona, A History of Art in Africa. (Pentice Hall, 2001), 211.