Among the Namji (also called Dowayo), young men give their fiancées a wooden doll such as the present one. Women always carry these dolls with them, either in special bags or in their clothes. Once the wish to have child comes true (thanks to the doll’s ‘help’, of course!), these figures are placed on home altars or ‘bequeathed’ to the children.
Despite looking unusually ‘fat’, the present ‘Namji doll’ is undoubtedly authentic. It stands in a characteristically stiff, upright position. Its large round head with sketched eyes, nose and mouth displays old, partly shiny usage patina. Its entire body is wrapped with rich ornaments – a frequent feature of ‘Namji dolls’. A ‘blouse’ of locally woven fabric is covered in a multitude of red, white, yellow and polychrome glass pearl chains attached to the body, the arms and the legs. Hands and feet are additionally embellished with chains of cowrie shells. Above all, even wider bands of braided leather cover the whole.
Six pierced colonial coins are attached to the shoulders, arms and legs by means of blue glass pearls. The dates stamped on the coins read: 1940, 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1952 (twice). The execution of the present, very original object can be dated to this period.
H: 38 cm; W: 22 cm. (ME)

Provenance: Austrian Private Collection.