CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by M.K.Abissath, Ghana, February 1999
THEME = CULTURE
Ghana is a small but culturally rich country of 18 million people on the West Coast of Africa. When the first Europeans first set foot on the soil of this part of Africa, they saw that gold was to be found everywhere. So they called the place, «The Gold Coast»
When Ghana was The Gold Coast, gold cost nothing. As a result, some of the richest kings, especially on festive occasions, adorned themselves with gold ornaments of an inestimable value. Ghana is endowed with magnificent traditional festivals such as «Abokyre», «Homowo», «Hogbetsotse», «Kundun», etc., celebrated annually throughout the country. These festivals depict Ghana's rich cultural heritage - always a source of admiration for foreign visitors. Things have changed somewhat, these days, because gold has become a scarce commodity and is so expensive that some modern Ghanaian kings and 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 near one of the largest rivers in the country. One day, the king had, what could be termed, a «psychic experience» while meditating on the river bank. During his meditation, he came to understand that he would soon embark on a journey of no return. He was to visit the kingdom of the ghosts, where gold was not one of the requirements to be a king.
When the king awoke, he quickly gathered together his three sons and said: «My beloved sons, sooner or later I shall no more be with you; I shall have to embark on a journey of no return, but I cannot tell you precisely where. While I am away, my kingdom must continue to be governed.» He brought out the royal regalia and told his three children: «Here is my head-dress, made of gold; my sandals, made of gold; my stool, made of wood. Choose one of these items and rule when I am no more».
Without much ado, the eldest son chose the golden head-dress; the second rushed for the golden sandals; the third son was left with the wooden stool.
Seven days after the royal panoply had been distributed to his sons, the King went to sleep and never awoke. He had crossed the river into the Great Sea. Seven days on and another King had, by custom, to be installed. So the King-makers summoned the three sons of the dead king and told them that, according to custom and tradition, «The one who has the stool is destined to be the next king and he shall be enstooled». So, the last son had no choice but to be enstooled as his father's successor. His eldest brother's head-gear was collected for his head, the second son's sandals were transferred to his feet and he was authorised to sit on his wooden stool and be the new king.
Indeed, in Ghana, the stool constitutes the foundation of chieftaincy. In many parts of Ghana, especially in the south, no chief can be installed without a stool. (In the north, the skin plays the same important role in the elevation of chiefs).
A stool is not just a wooden seat. It denotes the office of a king or chief. Also, in Ghana we have «Stool Land», «Stool Money», and «Stool Farm» - meaning the land, the money or farm attached to the chieftaincy or kingship of a particular Kingdom or traditional area.
The stool and everything connected with it, is looked after by the current ruler while he remains in office. When he dies, the incident is referred to as «the Stool has fallen».
Let's take a look at two kinds of stool used.
In traditional practice, the Ritual Stool is a stool linked with personalities or even deities and the spiritual status of their owners. They are cleaned before any major ritual involving individual clans or households takes place. Shrines of gods are placed on stools in which the seat is supported by a carving of, for example, a crocodile with a mudfish in its mouth, depicting the «amphibious nature of the deity in the world and yet out of it».
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, possibly from an executed person or victim of an accident, entering the stool.
The stool is the most important item of any Akan or Ewe chief's 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, King Prempeh I, was exiled by the British in 1891 to the Seychelles. A full-scale uprising only occurred in 1990, when the British governor, Sir Francis Hodgson, ventured to sit on the Golden Stool - a sacrilege in the eyes of the Ashanti people.
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 an important ancestral ceremonial stool is taken away in war by an en-emy, it means the state has lost its independence. A chief is enstooled and destooled by ceremonies around the Great Stool.
Ceremonial stools are often adorned with gold or silver strips, bells, belts, beads, cowries, fetters and amulets. The beautiful art objects attached to them, add both to their cultural values and to the spiritual powers of the owners of the stools as well.
And in the 20th century, when a visiting foreign dignitary is leaving Ghana, or when an accredited diplomat has finished his tour of duty and they pay a farewell courtesy call on the Head of State, that person is presented with a traditional stool as a symbol of reverence and authority.
Maybe we still have a lot to learn from the customs and traditions of our forefathers.
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