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Photographs © Tim Hamill
BAMILEKE, STOOLS 3, Cameroon
Most Bamileke art (and the work of other kingdoms of the Cameroon Grasslands) relates to kings and important chiefs, who defined their power by the display of prestige objects during important ceremonies. Stools were among the most important of these objects.
The motifs include human figures and various animals as well as abstract designs. The abstracted spider pattern is the most recognizable of Bamileke stool motifs. The spider, being clever enough to built a beautiful trap, is admired for her wisdom. Spending some time underground, she is also thought to be a messenger between the living world and the world of the ancestors.
Many of these Bamileke stools show no evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold.
GO TO GRASSLANDS EXHIBITION (January 2004) PAGE
GO TO AFRICAN STOOLS EXHIBITION (March 2001) PAGE
GO TO BAMILEKE ELEPHANT MASKS 2 PAGE
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