An Akwaba doll, from Kumasi collected in Accra, Ghana. Dark wood, signs of ritual use and age. The Akwaba doll is a wooden fertility figure associated with the Akan peoples of Ghana, particularly the Ashanti. Traditionally carved with a distinct circular, flat head and a simplified, stylized body, the Akwaba figure is carried by women—especially those hoping to conceive—as a means of encouraging fertility and attracting a healthy, beautiful child. The name "Akwaba" derives from the Akan word for "welcome," reflecting the desired welcoming of a new life into the family and community. Typically female in form, the Akwaba figure is carved with small arms, a cylindrical torso, and abstracted breasts, emphasizing the nurturing role of women and the centrality of motherhood in Akan society. The head, often disproportionately large and round, is a marker of beauty, echoing local aesthetic ideals that associate a well-shaped, prominent head with health, attractiveness, and destiny. The surface of the figure is usually polished with dark stain or oil, and the features are minimal—small incised eyes, a narrow nose, and sometimes a subtle mouth. The hair may be indicated with linear carvings that replicate traditional Ashanti coiffures. Women carry the Akwaba figure on their backs, wrapped in cloth like a real infant, or keep it close to the body. This practice is not merely symbolic but performative: by caring for the doll as they would a real child, women affirm their readiness and worthiness for motherhood. Once a child is born, the Akwaba may be placed on an altar, passed on to another woman, or ritually disposed of. Though its primary function is personal and ritualistic, the Akwaba doll also circulates in broader cultural and economic contexts. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, it has become a popular symbol of African identity and femininity, widely reproduced for tourists and collectors. While these versions are often simplified and commodified, they retain the basic features of the traditional form. In museum and catalogue contexts, Akwaba figures are typically classified under fertility objects, ritual figures, or women’s ritual art. Their study has been central to discussions of gender, symbolism, and material culture in West Africa. Scholars such as Jean La Fontaine and Herbert M. Cole have examined their use and meaning, emphasizing the way such figures reflect deeply embedded beliefs about reproduction, aesthetics, and social continuity. References: Jean La Fontaine, “Person and Individual: Some Anthropological Reflections,” in The Category of the Person, eds. Michael Carrithers et al. (Cambridge University Press, 1985); Herbert M. Cole and Chike C. Aniakor, Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos (Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1984).