Akuaba Figure

Origin: Akan (Asante) Tribe, Ghana
Composition: wood, paint, beads
Age: Early 20th Century

Figures of this type are found throughout the Akan area. Their name literally means "Akua's child" (Akua ba). According to legend, a woman named Akua became pregnant and had a beautiful daughter by carrying one of these figures. Until recently, many Akan women used them to induce fertility or, if pregnant, to ensure the birth of a daughter. The figure is carried on the back like a living child until the desired result is obtained. This custom is probably ancient, even though it was not reported or described until 1885.

Within the last fifty years, Akuaba dolls have been carved with naturalistic limbs, whereas older figures such as this piece are highly stylized, with very rudimentary arms, and no legs. The disc-shaped head is characteristic of central Akan carving; figures from the Fante and Abron regions often have rectangular or cone-shaped heads.

Akuaba figures were carved by Akan artists only after they were requested by those in need of them, and they were then consecrated in sacred shrines before being put into personal use. Often, the Akuaba would return to these shrines after successfully carrying out their duties. Large shrines, such as Atano shrine pictured below, addressed a host of community issues under the auspices of a resident priest or priestess. The Atano deities derived their power and identity from the River Tano, and were considered responsible for the health and general welfare of the people, their animals, and crops.

Akan shrines often incorporated six, ten, or more Akuaba. There are 12 Akuaba pictured in Atano shrine below. The 1976 photograph of the Atano shrine is © Herbert C. Cole (Ref: Garrard, "African Art from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, Geneva"; Visona, "A History of Art in Africa").

Please contact us to inquire about this piece at (415) 362-6601 or info@sujaro.com.