<div class="description">
An infertile woman would be advised by a priest to commission such a sculpture and care for it as if it were her baby. With the aim to induce fertility, or to ensure the birth of a healthy and beautiful daughter, the akua'ba figure is carried on the woman's back inside her wrapper. After a successful birth, the figure is placed in the priest's shrine as an offering, or it is given to the newborn as a toy.</div>
late 1800s-early 1900s
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.158">https://clevelandart.org/art/1975.158</a>