The sculpture is an akua'ba (plural akua'mma), a statue representing a child. The sculpture was intended for women who had difficulty conceiving and would help them bring a beautiful and healthy child into the world. Akua'ba in Twi literally means 'Wednesday's child', a female child born on Wednesday. The name is related to the myth of the first woman Akua who gave birth to a child through such an image.
Akua'mma were specially made on the advice of the priest to whom the woman consulted in the absence of pregnancy. During the consultation, the akua'ba was consecrated by the priest. From the moment the woman took the akua' ba home she treated and cared for it as if it were her own child, thus carrying it with her in her loincloth, providing it with beaded jewelry, and washing and feeding it. The appearance of the akua'ba also reflects the (then) ideal image of an Asante child: a shapely, flat skull and a long neck with lines.
Beginning in the early 20th century, more and more of the original faith of the Asante was supplanted by Christianity and Islam. This directly affected the demand for and use of the akua'mma by Asante women. The fame that these statues had gained outside Ghana, especially through the European presence there, caused the makers of these statues to specialize in making these statues for the newly emerging market. The appearance remained virtually the same but the specific rituals required for the loading of the akua'mma were no longer necessary. The akua'ba became the symbol of Asante culture and spread to many museum and private collections worldwide. If you want to see more Asante akua'mma: Assante Akua'ba Wereldmuseum.