CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF STOOLS
By
Mawutodzi K. Abissath
 |
| THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 -WEDNESDAY, SEPT.8, 1991 |
Ghana is a small but
culturally rich country of 18 million people on the West Coast of Africa bathed
by the Atlantic Ocean. When the first Europeans set foot on the soil of this
part of Africa they saw that gold was virtually like ordinary pebbles that could
be collected on the river banks.
This explains why the
place' was then baptised the Gold Coast. And when Ghana was Gold Coast, gold
cost nothing. As a result some of the richest kings of the Gold Coast actually
adorned themselves with inestimable values of gold ornaments, especially on
festive occasions.
Ghana is endowed with
magnificent traditional festivals such as "Aboakyer",
"Homowo", "Hogbetsotso", "Kundum" etc. celebrated
annually throughout the country.
These festivals
actually depict the depth of the cultural heritage of the people of Ghana
which leave foreign visitors and tourists spellbound. But today, it must be
admitted that gold is a scarce commodity and so expensive that some modern
Ghanaian Kings or chiefs cannot even afford a small gold ring to decorate their
little fingers.
The story is told of
one of the richest ancient Kings, who lived by one of the largest rivers in the
country. One day the' King had what could be termed a psychic experience during
a brief meditation on the bank of the river. In that meditation there was an
unmistakable revelation that the noble King was to embark on a journey of no
return. He was also to visit the kingdom of the ghosts, where gold was not one
of the requirements to be a King.
When the
"mystic" King awoke from his seemingly blue study, he quickly
gathered together his three sons and said: "Beloved sons of my bosom, sooner or
later I shall no more be with you; I shall have to embark on a journey of no
return, but as to where precisely, I cannot tell. He went on, "while I am away, my kingdom ought to be governed all the same".
Then he brought out
some royal regalia and told his three children: "Here are my headgear,
made of gold, my sandals, made of gold and my stool, made of wood. Take one each
of your choices and rule when I am no more", he ordered. Without much ado, the eldest son picked up
the golden headgear; the second rushed for the golden sandals, leaving the
wooden stool for the last son, who like a beggar, had no choice. Seven days after
the distribution of the royal paraphernalia to his sons, the King slept and
never woke up again.
He had crossed the
river into the Great Sea. Another seven days after the King's transition,
another King had to be installed, according to customs. So the kingmakers
summoned the three sons of the departed King and told them that according to
customs and tradition he who has the stool is destined to be the next King and
he shall be ens-tooled.
There again, the last son had no choice but to be
ens-tooled as his father's successor. His eldest brother's headgear was
collected for his head; the second son's sandals transferred to his feet and on
his wooden stool he was authorised to sit and a new King he became.
Indeed, in Ghana, the stool constitutes the foundation
of chieftaincy. In other words, without a stool no installation of a
chief can take place in many parts of Ghana, especially the southern part of
the country. In the North, the Skin plays the same important role in the
elevation of chiefs. The stool in Ghana is equivalent to the throne in England.
And it is the importance and value of stools and skins that give rise to the
adoption of a stool or skin name by every newly installed chief or queen in
Ghanaian society.
It is worthy to know that besides its real meaning
as a wooden seat, the actual significance of a "stool" is to denote
the office of a King or Chief for the Akans and he Ewes, as well as other
ethnic groups in southern Ghana. For instance, the Ashantis, one of the major ethnic
groups in Ghana, reputed for their rich traditional culture heritage, the
Ashanti Stool is called "Asante Akondwa". The Ewes call theirs " Fiazikpui". This
simply means the same as saying the "English throne".
Furthermore, in Ghana, we have terms such as 'Stool
Land', 'Stool Money' or 'Stool Farm" meaning the land, money or
farm attached to the chieftaincy or kingship of a particular kingdom or
traditional area. This is a property for the current ruler as he has charge
over it while in office. When the ruler passes away, the incident is referred
to as, "the Stool has fallen".
It is relevant to
explain that there are basically three kinds of stools in Ghana. They are the domestic,
ceremonial and ritual stools. Unlike the ceremonial and ritual stools, ordinary
stools are usually unadorned or decorated. Ghanaian ethnologists find it difficult
or even impossible to establish a chronology for stools although it has been
presumed that "they were probably invented to serve the needs of the
increasingly complex society, which evolved in Ashanti and other ethnic groups
in the nine-teenth century". (Ghana Museums).
Ritual Stools for many
years, clans have had stools which were linked with personalities or even
deities and spiritual status of their owners and were cleaned before any major
ritual involving individual clans or households. Examples are what is known as
the "Adae rituals" or soul cleaning ceremonies, referred to in the local
dialect as "Kradware" which takes place among the Akans.
Again, shrines of gods
were placed on stools in which the seat was supported on a carving for example,
a "crocodile with a mud-fish in its mouth" depicting the amphibious
nature of the deity in the world and yet out of it".
As a matter of fact a
stool is thought to receive some spiritual element from its user, and the' Ashantis
often explain their habit of tipping stools on their sides when not in use as a
precaution against a stray bad spirit (sunsum bone), possibly from an executed
person or an accident victim entering the stool.
Ceremonial Stools the
Akan or Ewe chief in Ghana, the stool is the most important item of his
regalia. The ceremonial stool is the focal point of the national culture.
In the Ashanti region
of Ghana, for instance, the "Golden Stool" is more important than the
Asante King himself as a person is. This was demonstrated in practical terms when one of the Ashanti Kings known as
King Prempeh was exiled by the British in 1891.
History has it that in
1891 there had not been any rebellion when the said Ashanti King was exiled to
the Seychelles. But when the British Governor Sir Francis Hodgson ventured to
sit on the "Golden Stool", the Asante uprising of 1900 occurred in
reaction to what was seen to be an act of sacrilege.
In Ghana, as well as in
other parts of Africa where chieftaincy exists, ceremonial stools are the prerogative
of kings and other high ranking persons. Some are handed down from one chief to the other, but at some
places a new one is commissioned when a new king assumes office. When a major ancestral
ceremonial stool is taken away in war by an enemy, it means the state has lost
its independence. A chief is ens-tooled and destooled by the ceremonies around
the Great Stool.
Furthermore, ceremonial
stools like the linguist's staff of office, are used to communicate to a gathering.
For example, when a chief sits on "Obi-te-obi-so" (someone-sits-on-the-other)
stool, it signifies that that chief is superior to others at the gathering or
meeting And when many ceremonial stools are assembled, the user of "Obi-te-Obi"
Stool is the supreme ruler.
As a matter of fact,
ceremonial stools are often adorned with 'gold or silver strips, bells, belts,
beads, cowries, fetters and amulets. These beautiful art
objects attached to them do not only add to their cultural .values but to the spiritual
powers of the owners of the stools as well.
In Ghana today any foreign dignitary
or diplomat who visits the country or finishes serving his duty tour and pays a
farewell courtesy call on the Head of State, that person is presented with a
traditional stool as a symbol of reverence arid authority. The importance of
stools in the traditional leadership therefore, cannot be taken for granted.
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