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18-399: Each stool is understood to be the seat of the owner's soul and when not in use it is placed against a wall so that other souls passing by may relax on it. The Golden Stool is the royal throne and must never touch the ground; instead it is placed on a blanket. During inauguration, a new king is raised and lowered over the stool without touching it. The Golden Stool is carried to the king on

36-526: A Friday") is the royal and divine throne of kings of the Asante people and the ultimate symbol of power in Asante . According to legend, Okomfo Anokye , High Priest and one of the two chief founders of the Asante Confederacy , caused the stool to descend from the sky and land on the lap of the first Asante king, Osei Tutu . Such seats were traditionally symbolic of a chieftain's leadership, but

54-537: A pillow, as only the Asantehene himself is allowed to handle it. During solemn occasions, the Golden Stool is placed on the king's left on a throne of its own, the hwedom dwa ( Asante , throne facing the crowd ). Many wars have broken out over the ownership of the royal throne. In 1896, Asantehene Prempeh I was deported rather than risk losing both the war and the throne. In 1900, Sir Frederick Hodgson ,

72-458: A specific message of authority. It is important in the Akan tradition because it highlights the sense of community, social and political life, tradition and serving as a symbol of unity and solidarity, believed to bind the souls of their kinsmen together in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. The stool has a great influence on when a leader assumes office and hence a popular term "enstoolment"

90-459: Is considered sacred. The stool is used as a symbol of chieftaincy (particularly male) in special and private occasions, and is seen as a symbol of royalty, custom and tradition. Queen mothers may be seen in public sitting on the traditional stool as a seat of authority, communicating messages about the nature of leadership. The asesedwa is believed to have religious importance. It is carved into different sizes, shape and design to communicate

108-497: Is inlaid with gold, and hung with bells to warn the king of impending danger. It has not been seen by many and only the king, queen, and trusted advisers know the hiding place. Replicas have been produced for the chiefs and at their funerals are ceremonially blackened with animal blood, a symbol of their power for generations. The stool is one of the main focal points of the Asante today because it still shows succession and power. While

126-423: Is raised and lowered over the stool without touching it. The Golden Stool is carried to the king on a pillow, as only the Asantehene himself is allowed to handle it. During solemn occasions, the Golden Stool is placed on the king's left on a throne of its own, the hwedom dwa ( Asante , throne facing the crowd ). Many wars have broken out over the ownership of the royal throne. In 1896, Asantehene Prempeh I

144-456: Is used. In Akan, the stool of a leader is so integrally connected to his personality that the expression "a stool has fallen" defines his death. The Golden Stool of the Ashantis is a traditional stool called Sika Dwa which is believed to have a metaphysical origin. The Mampongs have the traditional silver stool. The conventional stool (asesedwa) is made from the sese wood that gives it

162-517: The British, before being tried according to local custom and sentenced to death. The British intervened and the group was instead banished. An assurance of non-interference with the stool was then given by the British and it was brought out of hiding. In 1935 the stool was used in the ceremony to crown Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II . The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Its entire surface

180-407: The Golden Stool is believed to house the spirit of the Asante nation—living, dead and yet to be born. Each stool is understood to be the seat of the owner's soul and when not in use it is placed against a wall so that other souls passing by may relax on it. The Golden Stool is the royal throne and must never touch the ground; instead it is placed on a blanket. During inauguration, a new king

198-470: The Golden Stool is made of pure gold, stools are often made from wood. Each stool is made from a single block of the wood of Alstonia boonei (a tall forest tree with numinous associations) and carved with a crescent-shaped seat, flat base and complex support structure. The many designs and symbolic meanings mean that every stool is unique; each has a different meaning for the person whose soul it seats. Some designs contain animal shapes or images that recall

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216-419: The Golden Stool. In 1921, African road workers discovered the stool and stripped some of the gold ornaments. They were taken into protective custody by the British, before being tried according to local custom and sentenced to death. The British intervened and the group was instead banished. An assurance of non-interference with the stool was then given by the British and it was brought out of hiding. In 1935

234-680: The Governor of the Gold Coast , demanded to be allowed to sit on the Golden Stool, and ordered that a search for it be conducted. This provoked an armed rebellion known as the War of the Golden Stool , which resulted in the annexation of Ashanti to the British Empire, but preserved the sanctity of the Golden Stool. In 1921, African road workers discovered the stool and stripped some of the gold ornaments. They were taken into protective custody by

252-449: The chiefs and at their funerals are ceremonially blackened with animal blood, a symbol of their power for generations. The stool is one of the main focal points of the Asante today because it still shows succession and power. While the Golden Stool is made of pure gold, stools are often made from wood. Each stool is made from a single block of the wood of Alstonia boonei (a tall forest tree with numinous associations) and carved with

270-582: The person who used it. The general shape of Asante stools has been copied by other cultures and sold worldwide. Traditional Ghanaian stool The traditional Ghanaian stool (or asesedwa in the Asante Twi language) is a carved wooden stool common in sub-Saharan West Africa , and especially common in Ghana . Among the Akan it is used as a household object, it is used in rites of passage , and

288-413: The stool was used in the ceremony to crown Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II . The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Its entire surface is inlaid with gold, and hung with bells to warn the king of impending danger. It has not been seen by many and only the king, queen, and trusted advisers know the hiding place. Replicas have been produced for

306-505: The whitish appearance. Other trees such as Bodaa can be used to carve the traditional stool. The traditional stool has a rectangular base with concentric rings of spider in the middle, a central support that communicates the message with figural representations as a symbolism of the stool and a carved seat on the central support where the person of authority sits on. Golden Stool The Golden Stool ( Ashanti - Twi : Sika dwa ; full title, Sika Dwa Kofi "the Golden Stool born on

324-402: Was deported rather than risk losing both the war and the throne. In 1900, Sir Frederick Hodgson , the Governor of the Gold Coast , demanded to be allowed to sit on the Golden Stool, and ordered that a search for it be conducted. This provoked an armed rebellion known as the War of the Golden Stool , which resulted in the annexation of Ashanti to the British Empire, but preserved the sanctity of

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