Among most of the peoples of the world, death does not end a person's membership in a society. Respect for the dead, therefore, is a sort of religion which is found among all peoples, and in all grades of culture. Peoples of different tongues, races, colour, traditions and times, have practised it and are still practising it. The Edo of Nigeria believe that their normal dead will go to their heaven and from there can send blessings to the survivors, and finally return. Hence their prayer to them: "My father, tell Osa to give you things when you are coming back." The Samoans, scattered on a group of islands in the Pacific, suppose that the spirits of their chiefs are nearer than those of common people, and so consult them on all important occasions. The aborigines of Australia today, worship their mythical leaders. For the Zulu of South Africa, the most worshipped ancestor is the last person of importance to die; they begin and end their prayers with his name. This is the prayer of the Malabar of India at feast at the beginning of the agricultural year: "May the gods on high, and the deceased ancestors, bless the seed."

The ancient Romans practised the cult of the parentum, the worship of all the dead of a particular line. And citizens of civilized Greece were proud to describe themselves as sons or descendants of a hero, and worshipped their founder above all their ancestors. The Chinese, and the Japanese are the best known examples of ancestor-worshippers.

But neither the Edo nor the Samoan, nor the Zulu, nor the Arunta, nor the Malabar, nor the Chinese, nor the Japanese, communicate with their ancestors through the medium of stools. Neither did the Romans and the Greeks. The veneration of stools is a special peculiarity of the Akan people of Ghana. In the following chapters we are going to discuss the Akan Stool, its significance and the role it plays in ancestral worship.

Nature of the Stool
The Akan stool is nothing but a wooden seat. Before the introduction of chairs by Europeans, every Akan had many of these seats for use in his house. The introduction of chairs has not put an end to the importance of stools. For even now by far the greatest majority of the houses have more stools than chairs, and it would not be easy to find a house without a stool.

A stool is composed of three parts, the base, the middle portion, and the top. The base is in the form of a rectangle, the width of which is about one-fourth the length. The middle has no normal shape. It is this portion which can be shaped into different patterns and symbols, and which shows the degree of skill of the carver and the status of the owner. It may be the figure of an elephant or a leopard; or it may take on the form of four pillars supporting the top. There are stools in the form of a sphere with a hole in it. Others are rectangular with triangular designs surrounded by proverbial figures beautifully carved into the wood. These figures in the middle section determine what kind of stool it is, who can own it, and what it is worth in terms of money and culture.

The top, always exceeding the base in length, is equal to it in breadth. It is smooth and curved, to ensure safe and comfortable sitting. The curved shape of the seat also affords an easy means of carrying the stool on the back of the neck, on ceremonial occasions; for it is forbidden to carry a chief's stool on the head.

Apart from its real meaning as a wooden seat, the word "stool" is used to denote the office of the chief or the king. To say "the Ashanti stool", (Asante Akonnwa), means the same as saying "the English throne". Thus, when the Akan talk about the "stool land", the "stool money", the "stool farm", of such and such a place, they mean the land, money, or farm attached to the chieftaincy or kingship of the place, which therefore may be called the property of its present ruler as he has charge over it. One who has a claim to govern a group of people, is said to be a member of the stool of the ruling clan of the area. When an actual ruler dies, the incident is referred to as "The stool has fallen" (Akonnwa atc). The word "stool" (Akonnwa) therefore has a twofold meaning, the actual seat, and the state or office of chiefship. In this section we are going to learn about the actual seat.

Material used for Making Stools
There is a traditional choice in the species of wood for carving. Only a few trees are considered proper for it. It can also be said that the choice of wood is made on practical grounds, since whatever is carved is expected to last for a long time, and should also be light enough to be carried about. But more important in the choice is the religious reason. The wood is chosen because it is believed to have a supernatural character (spirit) of its own. "The chief kinds of wood used by Akan wood-carvers are Csese and the Nyamedua from one or other of which stools are made." The Csese [1] tree is by far the most frequently used. The Tweneboa tree is largely used for making drums, and the Twafo Yñden for making umbrella frames. The Ïsesel tree  is white and soft, and so is the Nyamedua. Their softness is of great advantage to the craftsman while the whiteness is important to the customer because he is judged to be neat and clean, or dirty, according as his stool is white or stained.

Something must be said here about the religious nature of stool-making, considering the wood used. One must make a careful distinction between the spirit that is supposed to be in a tree and the tree itself. According to the Akan, the spirit dwelling in a tree may either be the tree's own original spirit or might have entered it from somewhere else. The Akan believe that man is not the only 'creature' that is endowed with an immortal soul—the lower animals too have their own particular souls which are immortal. So also have trees and plants.

Just as the souls of men are not all equal in importance, that of a king, for instance, being deemed more powerful than the almost negligible soul of a slave, so also are the souls of certain animals and plants considered to be more important than others. The elephant (Esono), the bongo (Trcmo), the buffalo (Ckoc), waterbuck (Fusuo), the yellow-backed duyker (Kwaduo), are among those of the animal world with the most powerful souls. [2]

In the vegetable kingdom, many plants have spirits which are held in little account as they have no power for evil. But the three trees whose wood the Ashantis use for their carvings - Tweneboa or Kodua, Nyamedua, and Sese - are said to possess very vindictive spirits. The root of Tweneboa can turn into a most venomous serpent to protect itself against any "aggressor". The three are believed to be capable of moving themselves from one place to another. It is said that these trees can make themselves invisible to man when they realize that they are in danger of being molested by him.

It is important, therefore, that the Ashanti craftsman, whose lot it is to deal constantly with such dreadful trees, should exercise the greatest caution.

These are the first two chapters of The Sacred Stools of the Akan. The illustrated publication is downloadable as an eBook, against no costs >>

1. Cses Funtumia species
2. These animals are called Sasa animals. Sasa is the invisible spiritual power of a person or an animal, which disturbs the minds of the living, or works a spell or mischief upon them, so that they suffer in various ways ... The remorse that might drive the murderer to confession or suicide is explained at once as the operation of the Sasa of the murdered man upon his murderer. The bongo or Trcmo is the most dangerous and most feared of all Sasa animals.

COPYRIGHT 1973 Archbishop Emeritus Peter Sarpong, All rights reserved.
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