Ghana, West Africa

12.5 inches, wood

The akuaba figure is supposed to induce pregnancy and ensure safe delivery of a beautiful, healthy infant. A woman carries the statuette around with her and treats it like a real child; she adorns it with beads and earrings, nurses it, and puts it to bed. The statuette illustrates Asante concepts of beauty: a high round or oval, flattened forehead; a small mouth; a neck ringed with creases of subcutaneous fat, indicating the good health of the infant. Most akuaba figures depict females, since among the Asante the family line is passed down from the mother to the daughters.

$150