Fali Leather Wrapped Fertility Doll Cameroon
Width: 4.0
People
Condition
Overall Condition:
Damage/Repair:
Description
A superb Fali fertility doll with wonderful multiple layers of beads and cowrie shells. A leather garment is also attached to the doll.
"In Cameroon, when a young Fali man becomes betrothed, he makes a doll(ham pilu) from wood and decorates it with hair, beads, and other small objects. He then gives it to his fiance, who wears it in a baby carrier on her back. The doll is a symbol of their marriage commitment and represents their future child. The man gives the doll the gender that he desires for his firstborn. The young woman cares for the figure until the promised child is born; at this point, the couple carefully stores the doll away. "Fali doll- A good example of this rare doll can be seen on the cover of "ISN'T S/HE A DOLL, PLAY, AND RITUAL IN AFRICAN SCULPTURE," put out by UCLA's Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
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