Female Figure (akua'ba)
Unknown Artist
late 1800s–early 1900s
Medium
Wood, hair, resin, and bone
Dimensions
42.9 × 4.6 × 5.1 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Katherine C. White
Accession Number
1975.158
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
An infertile woman would be advised by a priest to commission such a sculpture and care for it as if it were her baby. With the aim to induce fertility, or to ensure the birth of a healthy and beautiful daughter, the akua'ba figure is carried on the woman's back inside her wrapper. After a successful birth, the figure is placed in the priest's shrine as an offering, or it is given to the newborn as a toy.