Stool - Ashanti People - Ghana -SOLD

Price: $0.00


 


The traditional sculpted wood stools of the Ashanti people are still widely used in most households. The role it plays is deeply rooted in religion, history, myth, customs, rituals, and royal ceremonies. Many civilizations and ancient societies worship the dead and communicate with their spirits in numerous ways, but only the Ashanti communicate with their ancestors through the medium of a stool. For the Ashanti, the stool is the central object in their spiritual lives. Ancestral stool temples and shrines are the customary places of communal worship. These stools are sacred objects. When an Ashanti carver is commissioned by a chief, priest, or other high-ranking member of society to carve a stool, it is an exceptional honor. The symbols in the carving convey messages, and the stool will eventually house the spirit of the owner. The curvature of the seat is known as the mother's embrace. The type of stool matches the status of the patron. The stool offered here was collected in the 1960's. It is 15"H x 22"W x 12"D