Akua’ba Figurine (Late 19th Century)

The Akua’ba is a striking wooden figurine from the Asante people of Ghana, revered for its cultural and spiritual significance. This female figure, characterized by its abstract design, embodies the ideals of fertility, motherhood, and feminine strength in Akan culture. With its distinctive round head, high forehead, and delicate features, the Akua’ba captivates with its elegant simplicity and profound meaning, offering a glimpse into the rich traditions of the Asante.

The Akua’ba originates from the Asante (Ashanti), a major Akan-speaking ethnic group in Ghana, whose history traces back to migrations into southern Ghana’s rainforests between the 11th and 14th centuries. The Asante Empire, formally established in 1670 under leaders like Osei Tutu I and priest Okomfo Anokye, became one of West Africa’s most powerful states, centered in Kumasi. Known for their gold trade, intricate kente textiles, and spiritual practices, the Asante developed a rich artistic tradition. The Akua’ba, dating to the late 19th or early 20th century, emerged within this vibrant cultural context. This particular example, housed at the Sainsbury Centre, was crafted during a period when the Asante faced colonial pressures from the British, culminating in their incorporation as a protectorate in 1901. The figurine’s creation reflects a time when Asante art flourished, blending spiritual function with aesthetic mastery.

The name “Akua’ba,” meaning “Akua’s child” in the Akan language, stems from a poignant legend. A woman named Akua, struggling with infertility, sought guidance from a priest who instructed her to commission a wooden figurine of a girl. She was to carry it on her back, treat it as a living child, and adorn it with beads and trinkets. Despite ridicule from her community, who mockingly called the figure “Akua’ba,” her devotion was rewarded when she bore a daughter. This miracle inspired a tradition where barren women or those seeking healthy children would have priests bless Akua’ba figurines, caring for them as Akua did. When their prayers were answered, the figurines were returned to shrines as offerings of gratitude, cementing their role in Akan spiritual life.

The Akua’ba holds profound cultural and spiritual importance in Akan society, particularly among the Asante, where fertility and motherhood are central to social and spiritual identity. The figurine’s abstract form—featuring a flat, disc-shaped head, high forehead, moon-shaped eyes, and elongated neck—embodies Akan ideals of beauty, health, and wisdom. These features symbolize perfect eyesight, intellectual power, and feminine strength. Used primarily by women, Akua’ba figures were carried on the back or placed in shrines to ensure fertility, protect pregnancies, or safeguard children. In Asante culture, where matrilineal inheritance underscores the importance of lineage, these figurines were vital ritual objects, often blessed during ceremonies like the Odwira festival. Artistically, the Akua’ba reflects the Asante’s mastery of woodcarving, with its balanced proportions and minimalist design.

The Akua’ba Figurine is carved from wood, measuring 26,4 cm (10.4 inches) in height, 10 cm (3.9 inches) in width, and 5 cm (2.0 inches) in depth. Its design is highly stylized, featuring a round, flat face with a high forehead, half-moon eyes, and a small mouth positioned low on the face. The elongated neck, shaped with concentric rings, leads to a torso with small, pointed breasts and a pronounced belly button, symbolizing fertility. Unlike more common Akua’ba figures with stubby arms, this rare example includes complete limbs, with short arms hanging at the sides and small legs on a grounded base. Tiny red beads adorn the right leg. The craftsmanship, noted for its exceptional quality, indicates it may have been created for a family shrine rather than personal use, as its form is less suited for carrying in a waistband.

This Akua’ba was acquired by the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia in 1975, purchased from Merton D. Simpson in New York with funds provided by Robert and Lisa Sainsbury. Its journey from Ghana to a Western collection reflects the broader history of Asante art entering European markets during the colonial era, when such figures were among the few Asante carvings collected by Europeans. While its exact path from creation to acquisition is undocumented, the presence of red beads and its fine craftsmanship suggest it was a cherished object, possibly from a significant family shrine in Asante territory. It now resides in the Sainsbury Centre, where it is studied and displayed as part of the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection.