Fertility doll, Ashanti people. Ganha, early 20th century

Fertility doll, Ashanti ethnic group. Ganha, early 20th century.
Carved wood.
Measurements: 42 x 15 x 8.5 cm.

The Ashanti, who belong to the larger Akan cultural group, inhabit primarily the territory of the former Gold Coast—now Ghana—and are traditionally organized according to a matrilineal system, in which descent and lineage are passed down through the maternal line. Among their most representative artistic expressions are the akua’ba, ritual fertility figures carved from wood, whose uniqueness lies both in their formal refinement and in their profound symbolic meaning. These sculptures were used by women who wished to conceive or ensure the healthy development of their future children; they carried them on their backs, wrapped in cloth, just as they would carry a newborn. Far from being mere toys, the akua’ba embody the ideals of motherhood, fertility, and the continuity of the lineage, while reflecting traditional Ashanti standards of beauty through a stylized representation of the human body, characterized by a circular, flattened head, small eyes and mouth, an elongated neck, and delicately defined eyebrows. Their origin is linked to a legend featuring Akua, a woman who, unable to have children, turned to a priest for help. He advised her to commission a small wooden figure and care for it as if it were her own child. Despite initial mockery from her community, Akua followed his instructions and eventually gave birth to a girl. Since then, these figures—whose name literally means “daughter of Akua”—have become symbols of fertility and maternal protection, occupying a prominent place in the ritual practices and sculptural tradition of the Akan peoples.