Wood Carved Elephant Stool from Asante, Ghana

Specifics

Height: 68.5cm

Width: 59.5cm

Breadth: 37cm

Origin: The Asante (Ashanti) people of the Akan in Ghana (West Africa)

This is a simply outstanding hand carved stool, which hails from Akan, Ghana, West Africa. It is a typical production of the Asante (or Ashanti) people; whose main craft is stools of this type. Carved from single blocks, Asante stools traditionally have crescent-shaped seats, flat bases and complex support structures, which exist in many designs with symbolic meaning. In this case the support structure is a very characterful and distinctive elephant. By tradition, such noble beasts were only carved on stools known as the ‘ohene adwa’, which were reserved for use by royalty or the ‘Asantehene’ (king). By the 20th century, when this example was made, such restrictions had loosened. Nevertheless, this ceremonial stool retains its messages of public status and power as embodied in the harmoniously balanced form, exceptional height and strong, bold carving. My favourite aspect of the piece is the entertaining ellie. Many of the contemporary examples of these carvings reflect so little of the character of these people, which is mainly due to Western demand. In reality they are a very lively, entertaining and passionate people (when it comes to carving stools) and this should be echoed in these pieces. This is certainly a very comical and idiosyncratic carving, which is lovely to see. Among Akan peoples, in particular the Asante, a stool is considered a highly personal item. Alongside their purely practical purpose, stools are also of spiritual significance; they are regarded as the seat of their owner’s soul, and when the owner dies the soul occupies the stool. But not to worry- to the best of my knowledge this stool has only had two previous owners (one of them my grandmother- a lovely lady who is very much alive and kicking!). When unoccupied the stool is often tipped on its side so that no alien force can occupy it and thus contaminate the owner’s soul.

The Golden Stool of the Asante

The stool is the symbol of the union of the Asante nation, in particular the Golden Stool. Legend has it that this stool, covered with pure gold, floated out of the sky and landed on the lap of the first Asantehene Osei-tutu. He unified the people in the 17th centrury. His chief priest declared that the soul of the nation resided in this stool (in reality it was rumoured to be this same chief priest (Anokye) who commissioned the stool). It is considered to be so sacred that no one is allowed to sit on it. It is kept under the strictest security and is taken outside only on exceptional occasions. In fact, so highly is this piece of furniture regarded that it has been the instigator of wars. In 1896  The Asante allowed their King, Prempeh I, to be deported rather than risk losing a war and the Golden Stool in the process. Later (1900), the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, demanded to sit on the stool. The Asante remained silent and when the assembly ended, they went home and prepared for war. Although they were finally conquered by the British, the Asante claimed victory because they fought only to preserve the sanctity of the Golden Stool, which was never surrendered. Lastly, in 1920, A group of African road builders accidentally found the Golden Stool and stripped it of its gold ornaments. They were tried according to traditional custom and the death penalty was imposed. But the British intervened and the sentence was commuted to perpetual banishment.

(In addition to honoring the Golden Stool, the Asante also pay homage to their departed chiefs represented by other stools that have been blackened).

The Asante People

The Asante live in Ghana, which is bordered on the west by the Ivory Coast, on the east by Togo, and on the north by Burkina Faso. The Asante Region of Ghana is located within the West African tropical rain forest. Ghana’s largest city is its capital, Kumasi, which is about 150 miles inland from the Gulf of Guinea. The Asante Region is 9,400 square miles and has a population of approximately one million people.The Asante came to power in central Ghana at the end of the 17th century.

In 1957, the Gold Coast became the first colony to gain independence from European rule. For the newly independent Ghana, cocoa was the main cash crop. They also grew yams, plantains, cassava, maize, okra, pineapples, oranges and paw-paw and hunted for meat. The Asante were also known for their gold, found in the mines for which the Gold Coast was named. Since the 1950s, however, the Asante region has changed from a principally agriculturally-based area to one that is more urban. Today’s Asante village maintains traditional customs and ceremonies overseen by the village’s Chief and Elders. The official language of the Asante is English, but most village residents speak dialects of the language Twi. The use of proverbs is especially commonplace. The Asante, however, are most known for their royal artwork, including staff and umbrella finials, lost wax-cast gold jewelry, and brass gold weights. In addition, Kente cloth, originally woven of silk and now made from synthetic fibers, represents prestige. Typically, Kente was worn by high ranking officials, but its use is more widespread, especially by African American communities in the United States.

NB All Buyers: This item is 19kg once packaged. Please use the royal mail price calculator (as advised below) to ascertain the price of delivery to you.