Traditional Reclining Seat

Origin: Gurunsi Tribe, Burkina Faso
Composition: wood (one piece), pigment stain

This three-legged reclining seat represents the most well-known style of Gurunsi chairs. Known as dogo-shala, it is said to represent a protective human spirit (note the highly stylized head with eyes). Gurunsi seats with three legs are believed to represent a male spirit, whereas those with four legs represent a female spirit.

This impressive piece, carved from a single piece of wood, is one of very few Gurunsi beds that SUJARO has collected over the years. Similarly few Gurunsi beds are present in museums or in published works. This piece was acquired from a Gurunsi elder on a field-collecting trip to Burkina Faso in 2007.