Stool – 360

Created in Tanzania, possibly in the Kwere tribal area in eastern Tanzania. Carved from a single piece of wood, stools were associated with the leadership of a tribe or lineage and leaders were usually placed upon a stool as the final rite of leadership. This rite is called an enstoolment in the African countries. Traditionally, each person in a tribal area is entitled to have a stool carved at certain points in his/her life such as birth, puberty, marriage, giving birth etc. The higher ranked in the community the more decorated or elaborate the stool.