Mossi Biiga or Doll / Fertility Figure

A helmet of polished wood and one neat tuft.

Mossi carvers of Burkina Faso, West Africa, made this biiga, or doll, in wood in the 20th century. Biiga are commonly carried and cared for by girls and women, and are associated with fertility. A smooth, helmet-like head with incised lines ends in a small comb-shaped tuft at the side. The long body carries more fine incisions, and an arm angles outward. The wood is a glossy chocolate brown. It stands on a ringed foot above a black plate.

About 12 inches tall. The polish suggests a lot of loving handling.