M0014384: An Akuaba doll, Ghana / M0014385: Effigy used in curing sick children, probably Ibibio, Nigeria

Photograph of two carved wooden figures. The first is an Ashanti carved wooden doll with a flat, discoidal head known as an "Akuaba". It represents beauty and was carried by women trying to conceive, pregnant women and girls who wished for beauty. The name is said to come from the story of Akua, a woman having difficulty conceiving a child. The item was purchased at auction by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in 1931 and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R5173/1936). It is not held by Wellcome Collection.

The second is a wooden effigy, probably created and used by the Ibibio people, southeastern Nigeria. The effigies were set out by the mother and appropriate sacrifices offered at a place indicated by the traditional healer. The item was acquired by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R5358/1936). It is not held by Wellcome Collection.