What is the meaning of Akuaba?

Akua’ba (sometimes spelled Akwaba or Akuba) are wooden ritual fertility dolls from Ghana and nearby areas. The best known akua’ba are those of the Ashanti people, whose akua’ba have large, disc-like heads. The form of the akua’ba has also gained currency as a general symbol of good luck.

What is the purpose of the Akuaba figure?

Akuaba figures are placed in shrines or worn or carried by women who wish to conceive. The figures take their name from a woman named Akua, who was barren. A priest directed her to have a small wooden child carved and to care for it as a living child, giving it beads and other gifts.

Why would a woman carry an Akuaba figure?

Traditionally, these dolls are carried on the back of young women either hoping to conceive a child, or to ensure the attractiveness of the child being carried. When not in active use, the akua’ba would be ritually washed and cared for in the traditional homestead.

What is an Akua’s child?

Akua cared for the figure as she would a living baby, even giving it gifts of beads and other trinkets. She was laughed at and teased by fellow villagers, who began to call the wooden figure Akua ba, or “Akua’s child.” Eventually though, Akua conceived a child and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

What ethnic group is known for making the kente cloth?

According to NDiaye, the colorful patterned fabrics known as kente can be traced back to the Asante people of the Akan kingdom in what is now Ghana. The word “kente” actually translates to “handwoven cloth” in the Twi language of the Akan people.

What is a fertility figure?

Usually these statues are of highly regarded and powerful entities, such as goddesses. Theses statues and or figures then became symbols, and were most likely used further to help assist and promote fertility for women during childbirth. Representing childbirth the figure is in a squatting birthing position.

Who wore the Kente cloth first?

The origins of Kente cloth date back to 12th century Africa, in the country of Ghana and the Ashanti people. The cloth was worn by Kings, Queens, and important figures of state in Ghana’s society during ceremonial events and special occasions.

Who is fertility goddess?

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Goddess of Fertility. She was also the mother of Eros – the God of Love – and had quite the romantic life by taking on many lovers. In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility and Aphrodite’s counterpart.

What is the flower of fertility?

The name itself “orchid” comes from the Greek “orkhis,” which symbolizes fertility; that’s why orchids are the universal symbols of love.

Can anyone wear a Kente stole?

While any high school or college student qualifies to wear a Kente stole at their graduation, the display should hold a deep, personal significance for the wearer. Stoles were first used by the Catholic clergy in the 12th century, worn to distinguish rank or promotion within their hierarchy.

Which is the best description of an akuaba?

The best known akua’ba are those of the Fanti people, “Fanti Dolls” whose akua’ba have large, disc-like heads. Other tribes in the West Africa region (f.ex. Kru and Igbo people) have their own distinctive style of akua’ba .

Where did the name Akua Ba come from?

The name akua ba comes from the Akan legend of a woman named Akua who was barren, but like all Akan women, she desired most of all to bear children. She consulted a priest who instructed her to commission the carving of a small wooden child and to carry the surrogate child on her back as if it were real.

What kind of sculpture is the Akua BA?

The style of this sculpture is rare among other extant examples of akua ba due to its miniaturized naturalistic body, arms, and legs. Full-bodied figures such as this are believed to be a recent twentieth-century innovation within the akua ba sculptural tradition.

Why are Akua BA important to the Asante people?

After influencing pregnancy, akua ba are often returned to shrines as offerings to the spirits who responded to the appeals for a child. A collection of figures becomes an advertisement for the spirits’ ability to help women conceive. Families also keep akua ba as memorials to a child or children.