TheGolden Stool (Ashanti-Twi:Sikadwa; full title,Sika Dwa Kofi "the Golden Stool born on a Friday") is the royal and divine throne of kings of theAsante people and the ultimate symbol of power inAsante.^[1] According to legend,Okomfo Anokye, High Priest and one of the two chief founders of theAsante Confederacy, caused the stool to descend from the sky and land on the lap of the first Asante king,Osei Tutu.^[2] Such seats were traditionally symbolic of a chieftain's leadership, but the Golden Stool is believed to house the spirit^[3] of theAsante nation—living, dead and yet to be born.

Eachstool is understood to be the seat of the owner'ssoul 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 royalthrone and must never touch the ground; instead it is placed on a blanket.^[4] During inauguration, a new king is raised and lowered over the stool without touching it.^[5] The Golden Stool is carried to the king on a pillow,^[6] as only theAsantehene 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, thehwedom dwa (Asante,throne facing the crowd).^[7]

Many wars^[8] have broken out over the ownership of the royal throne.^[9] In 1896, AsantehenePrempeh I was deported rather than risk losing both the war and the throne. In 1900, SirFrederick Hodgson, the Governor of theGold Coast, demanded^[5] 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 theWar 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.^[10] They were taken into protective custody by the British, before being tried according to local custom and sentenced to death.^[10] The British intervened and the group was instead banished.^[10] An assurance of non-interference with the stool was then given by the British and it was brought out of hiding.^[10]

In 1935 the stool was used in the ceremony to crownOsei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II.^[11]

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The Golden Stool is a curved seat 46 cm high with a platform 61 cm wide and 30 cm deep.^[12] Its entire surface is inlaid with gold, and hung with bells to warn the king of impending danger.^{[13][self-published source?]} 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.^{[14][self-published source?]} The stool is one of the main focal points of the Asante today because it still shows succession and power.^[9]

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 ofAlstonia boonei (a tall forest tree withnuminous 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.^[15] Some designs contain animal shapes or images that recall the person who used it. The general shape of Asante stools has been copied by other cultures and sold worldwide.^{[16][citation needed]}

• African Stools. Hamill Gallery of Tribal Art, catalogue of exhibition, March 1-May 26, 2001.
• West African Kingdom: Asante. BBC World Service.

• Ashanti monarchy
• Thrones
• National symbols of Ghana

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