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Doll of the Dowayo Namji people in north west Cameroon near the Nigerian border.
The Namji are famous for their wooden dolls. They are carved from solid hardwood most have a head that is tiny relative to the body.
Some are carved with geometric features and adorned with cowry shells, coins, metal strips, fiber, leather, and metal or multi-colored bead necklaces.
The dolls are held by girls to play, to ensure their fertility, and to prepare the young woman for her role as mother in her future life; the doll would have a name, be fed, be talked to and be carried strapped to the back everywhere the child would go.
Some dolls were used for healing and magical purposes and were ‘charged’ with magical substances.
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