Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

Angled head, curved spine, and plenty of posture.

Mossi carvers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, made this biiga, or doll, in wood in the 20th century. Biiga are commonly handled and tended like children, and associated with fertility. A faceted head with scratched lines tilts to one side, above a short, hooked arm. The body curves softly, with incised marks on its front, and ends on a cylindrical foot. The wood is a mid brown, dry and finely worn.

About 14 inches tall. A figure with a bend, in every sense.