The Magic of Dolls
Kamba, Kenya
This exhibit presented is an overview of dolls from various cultures of Africa and the Americas.
Dolls play an important role in the life of children, adults and diviners primaryly for play, initiation, fertility, surrogates in death and in burial and afterlife customs.
This presentation of dolls are recent acquisitions of the Edward M. Smith Foundation
Mothers made dolls for their daughters to play with and cherish, some of these same dolls have a dual role later in life to be used for ritual and magical use, and then again to be used as toys and dolls, having an important cycle of their own.
Traditionally the mother or the diviner would be responsible for the making of the dolls, depending on the intended use. However some males such as the Fali from the Cameroon carve dolls for their future wife, as a sign of his wanting a child, and she then wears it on her back during pregnancy and then once the child is born the doll is stored as a family heirloom.
Namji, Cameroon
The Namji dolls of the Cameroon are held by the young woman to ensure their fertility, most are carved as female however sometimes they are carved as couples. These Namji dolls are carved from wood and decorated with strands of small glass beads, trade beads cowrie shells, amulets from the diviner, metal and leather.
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