Chokwe (Batshioko, Jokwe, Tshokwe), Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia

Chief’s Stool. The one million Chokwe have spread out over a wide area in the southern DRC and northern Angola and northern Zambia. They are vigorous and courageous hunters and agriculturists, who used formerly to engage in the slave trade. Particularly renowned for their fine sculpture, the Chokwe owe the refinement and wealth of their art to a very stable society and a very sophisticated court culture. They strongly influenced the art of neighboring ethnic groups. Realism and attention to detail characterize their sculptured representations. Stools constitute an important part of Chokwe art. The stools served as seats of authority for Chokwe chiefs. The stools – with humans or animals supporting the seats – are carved from one block of wood. Typical are supporting figures or heads, as may be seen in the present stool. Crosses on the sit may be carved under the influence of the Christianity.

Material: wood, raffia

Size: 13”x 7”x 7½”