Namji are the people inhabiting an area in the west of the north Cameroon. They are famous for their wooden dolls carved with geometric features and adorned with multi-colored bead necklaces,sometimes with shells, coins, metal elements, and other materials.Generally, the dolls held by young Namji women to play and to ensure their fertility, are considered among the finest and the most beautiful dolls in Africa. The doll would have a name, be fed, be talked to and be carried strapped to the back everywhere the child would go. These dolls help prepare the young Namji women for their role as mothers in their future life. We had this doll in our private collection for many years.

Provenance: Raskin Private Collection