BoW-1 / Akua'ba - Akan (Asante), Ghana

Height: 10.25 in / 26 cm

This figure came to me by way of an African dealer whose name I sadly do not remember.

ex Bobbi Hamill, MA, USA
private collection Rand Ningali, CO, USA

Wood, pigment, beads, string

Exhibition History:
Native Arts of the World…At Home in Colorado - The Douglas Society Collects (2006)
Collectors Collect - Works from Denver Private Collections (2007)

This was my first akua’ba, and I feel quite lucky that it was. It came into my life almost by accident in 2002. I wasn’t looking for one at the time. I had gone to see a dealer who had brought a Senufo mask to town for me, and along with it, he showed me this figure.

I was very new to African art at the time, and I had only encountered akua’ba in books. Those images had shaped my expectations—blackened surfaces, familiar silhouettes, a look that felt almost standardized. This one didn’t fit. I hesitated, then sat with it quietly, turning it over in my hands for a long time. Something about it was compelling in a way I couldn’t explain, so I took a chance.

Later, when I shared photographs of this akua’ba, some felt it was unfortunate that the surface had worn away. With time, I came to understand how special and unique this figure was. Its surface speaks to long handling, and the shape of its head and neck is unlike most others I’ve encountered.

This figure changed the way I looked at everything that came after it. It taught me that collecting is not only about acquiring objects—it is about learning how to see.