Fertility Doll - Ndebele People, South Africa (4149)

This is an authentic old fertility doll, acquired in South Africa in 1992.
The inner core we believe to be a glass bottle which is broken and as such it has been priced accordingly.

The body of the doll is comprised of multiple beaded bands or rings recalling the cholwane rings worn around the neck, legs, arms and waist by unmarried Ndebele women. This type of doll is a fertility doll, Umndwana or Umtwana wa Madlozi. Such dolls were used to ensure a successful marriage and to enable a to couple to conceive. Smaller dolls were worn around the neck for the same purposes.

H: 11” x Diam: 4 ½”