Queen Mothers stool

Description:	Personal stools are very important among the Akan peoples of Ghana. Among the Asante (a sub-group of the Akan), there is a very special bond between a person and his/her stool. An Asante proverb states, There are no secrets between a man and his stool. It is believed that a persons stool holds his/her soul and is a part of ones life from birth until death. It is the first gift a father gives to his child once it begins to crawl. A girl sits on her stool during the initiation rites that welcome her into womanhood. A husband presents a stool to his newlywed wife to ensure that she will stay with him. Even upon death, the deceased is bathed upon his/her stool before the funeral. In everyday use, stools are treated carefully. When a person leaves his/her stool, it should be tilted on its side to prevent another spirit, particularly an evil one, from occupying it. This stool probably belonged to a Queen Mother, a female leader who rules jointly with an Asante ruler (a king or a chief). It is uncertain precisely what the stools carved images (a drum, tortoise, snail, gun and canons) signify because they were personal symbols of its owner. However, it has been theorized that they convey a mixed metaphor for the peaceful and not so peaceful aspects of human nature.
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/349
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Geography:	Ghana
Subjects:	Akan (African people) Akan (African people) -- Social life and customs Ghana Ghana -- Social life and customs Stools Furniture

Further information on this record can be found at its source.