Ghana - Akua ba Doll (Fertility Doll)
	Ashanti women carry Akua ba dolls in a cloth wrapped around their backs (just as children are universally carried in West Africa) as a charm to ensure the birth of healthy, attractive children. Ashantis admire a high, round forehead as a mark of good looks, hence the broad head of the dolls. The concentric rings represent rolls of fat on a neck, also preferred as an indication of being well-fed and therefore content. This is a fine older example with elegant carving on the back of the head. Akua ba dolls usually have small female breasts; male dolls, for some reason, are extremely uncommon.
	height - 12 1/4"	S-06 $600