MOSSI BIIGA DOLL (FERTILITY DOLL)
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TITLE: Mossi Giiga Doll (Fertility Doll)
MEDIUM: Wood
DATE: Unkown
SIZE: H 12 x W 2.25 x D 3 in
PRICE: Please Inquire
PROVENANCE:
Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA
Mossi Biiga Doll (fertility Doll) hand-carved from wood with a beautiful dark smooth patina, with intricate detail in the Kaya Style. The lines incised on the figure represents braids, characteristic facial scars, and chest and stomach scars worn only by women.
Mossi Biiga Doll is often the focus of rituals and spritual practices associated with motherhood. Among the Mossi people, women hoping for offspring carry these fertility dolls (called ‘Biiga’) in their clothes. The present, typical ‘Biga doll’ is carved from hard wood and dyed dark brown. The doll displays the characteristics of an adult woman, with mature female breasts that represent the fulfillment of motherhood. Scarification [scarring] patterns on the body that traditionally mark passage to adulthood are also represented by carved patterns.