The Ashanti valued their domestic or personal stools highly because they believed a person's spirit was absorbed into the stool each time that person sat on it. When not in use, the stool was placed on its side so that no one else could use it. A typical Ashanti stool consists of a curved seat with an intricately carved support that indicated the owner's social status. Wooden headrests, used instead of a pillow to support the head and neck during sleep, have been an important household item in much of Africa. Often carved elaborately, they look like miniature stools with a curved platform for the base of the head atop a decoratively carved support. Because they elevated the head, headrests also protected the elaborate hairstyles of men and women during sleep. Among the Shona of southern Africa, headrests carved with geometric designs served an additional function: facilitating communication with ancestor spirits.
In Shona belief, a man who dreamed was visiting his ancestors. Today, only Shona diviners use headrests for this purpose. Belief in the supernatural has traditionally played an important role in many African societies . This belief incorporates elements of magic , animism , and religion . Rituals are meant to exert control over the uncertainties of life by harnessing positive forces from ancestors, gods, or other spirits and by limiting negative forces. The performance of these rituals calls for special objects, including masks, headdresses, and statues. Many ritual objects are believed to house powerful spirits or to provide a means of communication with such spirits.
Masks are worn during festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies whose purposes are to cleanse, honor, entertain, initiate, or bless. A mask serves both to disguise and to protect the wearer, who is most often male, as he performs in dances or theatrical skits. Most masks are carved of wood, although some are made of cloth and other materials. They may be decorated with paint, beads, cloth, or raffia. Masks can be divided into two categories: facemasks, which cover only the face, and helmet masks, which cover the entire head. The Baule, a subgroup of the Akan of western Africa, have several types of masks, each associated with a specific function. Baule masks are worn to protect the community from dangers, celebrate a harvest, honor and entertain important visitors, or commemorate people who have died. A judge ruling on a criminal case may wear an aggressive wooden helmet mask with horns to impress and terrify wrongdoers. A smaller facemask with female features is used in performances that entertain and honor members of the community.
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