Namji (Doyayo, Dowayo, Namchi,
Namshi), Cameroon
Fertility
doll. Namji are the people inhabiting an area in the
west of the north Cameroon. They are famous for their wooden dolls carved with geometric
features and adorned with multi-colored bead necklaces, sometimes with shells, coins, metal elements, and other
materials. Generally, the
dolls held by young Namji women to play and to ensure their fertility, are considered
among the finest and the most beautiful dolls in Africa. The doll would have a name,
be fed, be talked to and be carried strapped to the back everywhere the child would go.
These dolls help prepare the young Namji women for their role as mothers in their future
life. This
very unusual doll was made for some special purpose that is not clear.
Material:
wood, squash
Size: H. 13½, W. 11, D. 6