A thorough
observation of my last few posts shows that I aimed at educating you on the main
carvers of wood sculptures, the types of wood used, as well as the kinds of
tools that help in wood carvings. It has been an exciting journey so far. However,
it is time to move back to the topic of focus, which is non-verbal communication through sculptures and wood carvings in Africa.
The sculptures
and wood carvings that are carved in Africa isn't just for only beautification
and decoration but also used to communicate specific and significant meanings.
People of various cultures have associated their sculptures with certain
meanings and explanations. As a result, without uttering a word, one can tell
the use and purpose of sculptures with just a glimpse. The meaning that is
associated with a particular sculpture is as a result of the cultural and
societal background or values of the people.
Today I will
be looking at both the Fante’s and Asante’s fertility dolls, “Akua’ba”. The Fante
people are from the south-western coastal region of Ghana, whiles the Asante’s
are in the central parts of Ghana. They are known for their famous “fertility
dolls” and the impact in the lives of the people, especially the females.
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| FANTE'S AND ASANTE'S FERTILITY DOLLS |
Asante
carvers are famed for their female dolls, known as Akua’ba. The legend of the
origination of the doll comes from the story of a woman named Akua who could
not get pregnant and went to a local diviner or priest and commissioned the
carving of a small wooden doll. She carried and cared for the doll as if it
were her own child, feeding it, bathing it and all. Soon the people in the
village started calling it “Akua ba”- meaning “Akua’s child”, since “ba” mearnt
child. The legend and tradition continued as most carvers carved these “Akua’ba”
dolls and people bought it with the believe that it will free them from a
barren situation and it worked for them.
As a result, if an Asante woman had
difficulty conceiving, she would be encouraged to visit a local shrine
accompanied by a senior woman in her family. At the shrine, she is made to
purchase the “Akua’ba”, which would be placed for a period on the altar, later
to be reclaimed by the woman along with certain medicines. The sculpture was
then carried, fed, bathed and cared for by the woman as if it was a living
baby. It was thought that in doing this the woman would have a better chance to
have a healthy and beautiful baby. Once the woman conceived and had a successful
delivery, she would return the figure to the shrine as a form of offering. But if
the child died, the “Akua’ba” might be kept by the woman as a memorial.
The Fante and Bono people who live
respectively to the south and the north of the Asante’s also employ “Akua’ba”
dolls, but they are carved in a different style. The Fante’s used Akua’ba dolls
for the same purpose as those of the Asante’s, however; the types are
differentiated based on the style. Whiles the heads of the Fante dolls are
rectangular, those of the Asante’s are round, flat and disk like.
The symbolism of these dolls is
specific. In the case of the Asanti’s, the flat, disk like head is a strongly
exaggerated conception of the Akan ideal of beauty. They consider round or oval
shaped heads as ideal and this is accomplished in actual practice by the gently
modeling of an infant soft cranial bones. Also, the flatness of the figures is
practical when they are carried against the back wrapped in the skirt. Also,
standard is the ringed neck, a convention for rolls of fat and hence stands for
beauty and prosperity. The small scars seen on the faces of many “Akua,ba” are
those made for medicidinal purposes and protection against convulsions. Most Asante
“Akua’ba” have abstracted, horizontal arms and a cylindrical torso with breasts
and a navel, but ending in a base rather than human legs. The Akua’ba dolls are
about 20 and 40 cm in height.
Aaa
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| ASANTE FERTILITY DOLL |
In the case of the Fante fertility
dolls, it is mostly painted black and seen rarely with hands. They have rectangular
head and do the same functions and believe as the Asante fertility dolls.
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| FANTE FERTILITY DOLL |
The Fante and Asante fertility dolls,
”Akua’ba” represents one way which shows how we use sculptures to communicate
non-verbally. The meaning attached to these dolls have sung deep into the mind of women that live in these communities,
hence they tend to turn to the dolls as their last resort when they find difficulties in bearing.
FANTE AND ASANTE FERTILITY DOLLS ON DISPLAY
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