A Table? A Stool? A Throne?

It all comes down to lineage

The next time you place your cup on a coffee table that looks like one of these beautiful hand carved stools below you may want to think about what they were designed for; ceremonial thrones for the kings and chieftains of the Bamileke tribes of the Cameroon grasslands.

These intricately carved items are a symbol of power and knowledge and were used in important ceremonies amongst the Bamileke tribes. Hand carved from a single tree trunk the criss-cross designs represent the earth spider (an underground dwelling spider of the tarantula genus) that is thought to be the all-knowing link between this world and the ancestors of the village.

The Bamileke people believe that the spider holds the answers to the villagers problems and the village diviner will examine the leaf chips around the spiders entrance hole much like a tea leaf reader or palm reader to interpret the future or solutions to the current or upcoming villagers problems.

The stools are hand carved from a single tree trunk which makes these thrones as environmentally frugal as they are regal.

Popular as coffee tables, occasional side tables or as a cluster of small tables, Orient House always have a variety on display, so feel free to pop in and browse our range.

FIND US

Orient House, 45 Bridge Road, Glebe, NSW Australia
Phone (02) 9660 3895
orienthouse@orienthouse.com.au