Biiga or Biga (“child” doll) Africa, Burkina Faso, Mossi people Gift of Mr. Robert Ziegler,1992 29.4 x 3.55 x 5.5cm
There are three Biigas in the MAC. These dolls were made by smiths in the dry season who make other wooden utilitarian goods. Mossi women used Biiga throughout their life until their give birth to their first child. Females first receive their dolls as children as playthings. The doll representes what a woman wishes she will grow up to be: the ideal figure of a grown woman, a mother. These dolls are considered the first child of the female. Mossi children use the dolls to mimic adult women caring for children. After a healthy baby is born, the new mother tends first to the doll. She would carry, feed, and annoit the doll in oil prior to annoiting her own child. This is why two of the Biiga in the MAC are stained a darker shade.
After a successful birth, the doll can go to a sacrid temple or be given to another female relative. If the birth is not successful, the doll is buried or discarded.
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