Carved, wooden representation of the Akua'ba fertility doll, painted black with yellow designs that outline the facial features; three vertical, yellow stripes on the lower body; two horizontal yellow lines on the forehead with a pattern of diagonal yellow lines in between them. The face of the doll is carved to reflect the Akan peoples' conception of beauty and what features are considered ideal. The head is flat so that it can easily be carried in a woman's clothes. Asante women who wanted to get pregnant would carry this doll in their back so that they could become fertile, and women who were already pregnant would carry it on their backs so that the child would be beautiful like the doll; they would dress, bathe, and care for the doll as if it was a real child. Once the child is born, the doll is given to her as a toy to teach her how to care for a baby. The name "Akua'ba" means "Akua's child," and Akua is the woman who first had one of these dolls carved to help her conceive, and she started the tradition. 26.5cmX10.5cm