African Arts Gallery

Mossi doll (N° 22786)

Fertility doll-statue, the appearance of the head of which varies according to the region, representing a spirit with which a relationship is established. The columnar body bears sagging breasts. The angular head evokes the female hairstyle in crest, the incised motifs, the scarifications and the braids of the ethnic group.
Abraded polychrome patina. Erosions and cracks.

Among many ethnic groups, initiation rites accompany the desire for a child. Wooden figures are then carved, some reflecting both genders, in many cases clothed in beads and clothes. During the period of confinement, the doll, which becomes a child who asks to be fed, washed and anointed on a daily basis, becomes the girl's only companion. After the initiation, they will be carried on the women's backs, or tied around their necks. The wooden dolls (biiga), carved in their free time by the blacksmiths of Burkina Faso, are offered to girls, as to boys, by their parents. The wealthiest Mossi buy plastic dolls. If the young girl does not give birth, a larger doll is sculpted, such as this example, to treat her like a real newborn. The doll will not be abandoned after the child is born, the mother will continue to take care of it. If the birth did not take place, the doll will be offered as an educational toy to a child. (Elisabeth L.Cameron)