Golden Stool

The Golden Stool on its throne, the hwedom dwa (1935)
Flag of the Asante people depicting the Golden Stool in the middle.

The Golden Stool (Ashanti-Twi: Sika dwa; full title, Sika Dwa Kofi "the Golden Stool born on a Friday") is the royal and divine throne of kings of the Asante people and the ultimate symbol of power in Asante.[1] According to legend, Okomfo Anokye, High Priest and one of the two chief founders of the Asante 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 the Asante nation—living, dead and yet to be born.

  1. ^ "African Gold-weights in the British Museum".
  2. ^ "How the Asantehene climaxed the 20th anniversary on the Golden Stool [PHOTOS]". www.graphic.com.gh. 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  3. ^ Kyerematen, A. (1969). "The Royal Stools of Ashanti". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 39 (1): 1–10. doi:10.2307/1157946. ISSN 0001-9720. JSTOR 1157946. S2CID 144362829.