230808 - Rare 3 Old Fali Ritual Ham Pilu Dolls on stand - Cameroon.
€175.00
Rare 3 Old Fali Ritual Ham Pilu Dolls on stand - Cameroon.
Dimensions dolls are 13 cm high, with stand are they 24 till 30 cm.
In Cameroon, when a young Fali man becomes betrothed, he makes a doll (ham pilu) from wood and decorates it with hair, beads, and other small objects. He then gives it to his fiancee, who wears it in a baby carrier on her back. The doll is a symbol of their marriage commitment and represents their future child. The man gives the doll the gender that he desires for his first-born. The young woman cares for the figure until the promised child is born; at this point, the couple carefully stores the doll away.
From ISN'T S/HE A DOLL, PLAY AND RITUAL IN AFRICAN SCULPTURE (1996) by Elisabeth Cameron