The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Female Figure (akua'ba)

late 1800s–early 1900s

Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Fante-style maker

Wood, hair, resin, and bone
Overall: 42.9 x 4.6 x 5.1 cm (16 7/8 x 1 13/16 x 2 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1975.158
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Akua'ba are always female, both because Akua’s first child was a girl, and because the Akan and Fante societies are matrilineal, meaning that it is women that extend the family line.

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.
  • at least 1968–1976
    Katherine C. White [1929-1980], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1976–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Fagg, William. African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968. Mentioned and reproduced: no. 106
    Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 72-73, no. 21
    Petridis, Constantine, "African Art Revisited", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 43 no. 09, November 2003 Mentioned & reproduced: 4-5 archive.org
    Cole, Herbert M., and Doran H. Ross. The Arts of Ghana. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1977. Reproduced: p. 106, fig. 212; mentioned: p. 107
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Motherhood across Time. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 4
  • The Arts of Ghana. Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (organizer) (October 11-December 11, 1977); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (February 11-March 26, 1978); The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (May 3-July 2, 1978).
    Los Angeles, UCLA, Dickson Art Center, 1977-1978: "The Arts of Ghana," cat. no. 212, p. 107, repr. p. 106. also traveled to Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN and Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX.
    CMA 1976: "Year in Review 1975," CMA Bulletin LXIII (Feb., 1976), p. 65, no. 22
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 106, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Female Figure (akua'ba)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s–early 1900s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1975.158