This stool has been vetted by a Dogon expert as being authentic with significant signs of use and age.
There are many cracks (now stable) and both sides of the base show wood loss. The overall patina of age is excellent.
Small wooden stools serve the Dogon people for everyday use. There are two distinct types. The simple, abstract ones that we have are very old and wonderfully eroded by time, use and exposure. The more complex ones, supported by figures representing ancestors or nommo were originally symbols of authority for the priests or hogons and not used as stools. Those with a post in the middle are linked with Dogon mythology. The seat represents heaven, the base represents the earth, and the post represents a tree, linking the two.
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