Chief's stool with figures

Among the Luvale of eastern Angola and western Zambia, political leadership and chiefly titles are transmitted matrilineally. While the power structure is not highly centralized, chiefs exert their power over a small territories and administer local politics and justice. Their authority is emphasized by a number of regalia among which thrones. According to Manuel Jordan, an expert on Chokwe and related arts, this particular chief's throne presents the formal characteristics of the Mbunda style. The mask carved on the back of the stool probably represents Sachihongo, a spirit of wealth and abundance honored by the Mbunda. The among the carved figure on the stool one can identify also royal ancestral couples, regal storks, and other representations of ancestral masks. The high back of the stool marks a formal transition from the simple stool form and the European style chairs adopted by Chokwe chiefs in the 19th century.