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Unknown Maker
Stool Stool
19th-20th century 19th-20th century

Commissioned by young men upon reaching adulthood, three-legged stools are ubiquitous among the Lobi and their neighbours. These utilitarian objects, which incorporate human or antelope forms, are carried over the left shoulder and beaten against the ground at initiation rituals to announce the arrival of elders and to pay tribute to them. In many West African cultures, the antelope is associated symbolically with procreative power.

Unknown Maker
Lobi peoples Lobi peoples
Stool Stool
19th-20th century 19th-20th century
wood, wood,
height / width / depth: 34.50 x 12.20 x 57.00 cm; 13.58 x 4.80 x 22.44 in.
Gift of Justin and Elisabeth Lang, 1984 Gift of Justin and Elisabeth Lang, 1984
M84-064

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