ANGOLAN CHOKWE PEOPLES SKELETON WOODEN CHAIR,Early-to-mid 20th century. Patinated hand-carved wooden chair in the form of a seated skeleton. For the Chokwe Peoples, the skeleton represents absolute knowledge acquired from all realms. Such chairs are used in shrines and are incorporated in the traditional "mukanda" or "nkanda" rites which are organized initiation rites for boys and young men. The initiation rites symbolize the death and rebirth of the young individual after which they re-enter society at the conclusion of the rite as an adult. Consignor collected it while working in Angola in the 1900s. - height: 25 inches. Estimate $500-700
