Beaded Namji Doll, Cameroon

Description of Significance:

The Namji people live in the West and North of Cameroon. These dolls are created in the Namji culture to bring good luck during annual ceremonies and in everyday life. Early Namji dolls were created for more specific reasons in relation to women in a village. Artists would craft individual dolls for young girls and boys to provide luck in their future. Some dolls were passed down through the generations.

This striking contemporary doll was authentically hand-created in Cameroon. Each doll is one of a kind, made individually, and collected directly from the artist.

Country of Origin:

• Hand-carved and beaded in Cameroon

Dimensions:

• Depth: 3"
• Width: 3"
• Height: 21"
• Dimensions include the base.

Sustainable Materials: 

• Indigenous wood
• Glass beads
• Cowrie Shells
• Metal details

About Decorative African Art:

Hemingway Gallery only purchases pieces from artists or owners that we approve of historically and aesthetically. These might include artworks that have been newly created and are currently being used in ceremonies. We place high value in these pieces, despite their lack of age and antiquity, regarding them as real even though they are not old. Some are created for use by the people and not made for the tourist trade. Ours are by talented artisans creating fine art that reference historic styles. Newly produced African art is gorgeous and we value these pieces. This includes contemporary aesthetics from the continent that may not necessarily look traditionally ‘African’. Our goal is to represent design in Africa that goes beyond the idea of ‘tribal’ as the styles of emerging artists are ever-evolving.

Our Pricing:

Our pricing correlates directly to the asking prices of artists, artisans and art dealers in the various African countries we collect from and the costs of importing their artwork to the U.S. We need to change the idea that artists should be paid pennies for their fine art just because it comes from Africa. Paying a fair price to our artists is our number one priority and our pricing reflects that. Everything is ethically sourced personally by the owners of our family business.

Shipping:

• Subsidized FedEx Ground Shipping: $15
• A FedEx Declared Value is included on each package so a signature may be required on arrival.
• We ship around the world! Our website is still new and is not yet processing automatic international shipping rates. Please contact us directly for custom shipping quotes outside the mainland USA (including Hawaii and Alaska).