The Stool and Asante Chieftaincy

Abstract

he is one of the more ubiquitous types of carving in sub-Saharan West Africa, and it is especially common in Ghana. Although there are many types of Ghanaian stools, most can be classified as being either rectangular or circular, according to the shape of the seat and base.1 The circular is the most common and widely distributed in West Africa, and historically it is the earliest in Ghana. European records and indigenous oral traditions indicate that it preceded the rectangular by about one hundred years.2 Nonetheless, it is the rectangular that is associated with Ghana and identified with its largest ethnic group, the Akan. Among the Akan, the has varied functions.3 It is, foremost, a utilitarian object found in every household. Anyone, child or adult, may own any number of stools. Second, the is an object associated with rites of passage; although it does not necessarily possess sacral qualities, as a gift it acquires special meaning. For example, when a child begins to crawl, which means that he has survived the dangerous period of infancy, the father gives him a stool; in this instance, it denotes the continuity of life. During the female puberty rite, bra goro, when a girl is placed ceremoniously on a stool, it signifies admission to womanhood. When a bridegroom presents a to his new wife, it symbolizes marital permanency. The third function of the is as a sacred object. In an everyday context, it is imbued with the being of its owner, as if the person's essence or spirit (sunsum)4 is absorbed into it upon each sitting. Consequently, the sacredness of the increases with contact with its owner; to prevent another person's sunsum from entering it, a is placed on its side when not in use. The is also a sacred object when, in association with prestigious persons, it is used in ancestor veneration; through it, people establish and maintain contact with the ancestors, whose aim is the successful functioning of society. A fourth function of the is as a political symbol. The chief (ohene)5 is the crucial political unit in Akan society; he is the decisionmaker, and, if regarded as a descendant of the founding ancestor of his office, he may also be the symbol of clan or lineage unity and continuity. Every chief has one or more stools, which he uses to identify and legitimate his rank. In Ghana, stools are august emblems of political, judicial, and social leadership-the most important of the chief's regalia and the sine qua non of his high (Kyerematen 1964:11). In no other West African culture is this object accorded such significant value. That it has strong political associations is evidenced by the fact that the term stool may denote the office of an bhene and also of subordinate officials such as the