THE The Heritage of Ghanaian Traditional Furniture Culture

Inkum, Paul Benedict; Appiah-Kubi, Obed Persie; Jiufang, Lu; Wu, Zhihui

doi:10.37899/journallamultiapp.v2i5.509

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…They are a completely defined set of symbols in the form of visuals or images (Appiah-Kubi et al, 2021). The symbols are derived from various observations and interactions between individuals and items, animal and animal situations, the human body and its organs, and natural objects, as well as geometrical and abstract concepts (Inkum et al, 2021;Arthur, 2001).…”

Section: Symbolic Wisdom Conveyed In the Traditional Ghanaian Seatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Historical Overview of the Traditional Ghanaian Seats

Appiah-Kubi¹,

Inkum²,

Owusu-Ansah³

et al. 2022

IJCH

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Traditional Ghanaian seats have existed for centuries. As of now, there is no complete research material detailing its history, nature, types, functions, appropriate materials for production, and the symbolic designs conveyed in the craft making it incomplete to tell the rich culture of Ghana. The paper aims at providing a more detailed overview of the craft to serve as complete and reliable reference material to learners. This qualitative study employed the narrative research design. The study was conducted at Ahwiaa and Bomani Tyehimba traditional wood carving communities in the Ashanti and Eastern regions of Ghana respectively. Two historians; one each, and ten traditional stool carvers; five each from the visited carving communities were purposively selected and interviewed. The craft was initiated by the Ashantis and traveled to other regions. The craft has a flat rectangular base, a center section, and a crescent-shaped top. The center section contains distinctive motifs and symbolic meanings that are the source of the numerous stools' names. Some symbolic wisdom conveyed in the craft includes; Gye Nyame, Bi nka bi, Akofena, Sankofa, etc. Ahemmaa dwa, Mmarima dwa, Mmaa dwa, Osram dwa, Kotoko dwa, Esono dwa, etc. are some common types of the craft. It functions as practical items in every home, as a connection to rites of passage, as religious artifacts, and as a political allegory. Wood like Osese (Funtumia sp.), Nyame dua (Alstonia gongensis), Cedrela (Cedrela odorata), Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), teak (Tectona grandis), etc. are used for the production. The study will add up to the Ghanaian citizens, foreigners, and researchers’ knowledge to know much about the craft and the cultural heritage of the country.

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Section: Symbolic Wisdom Conveyed In the Traditional Ghanaian Seatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The traditional Ghanaian seats come in many forms, shapes, and sizes (Inkum et al, 2021) just like the traditional ones made by other countries. They existed before Ghana had its name Gold Coast (N. F. Boadu, Personal Communication, 19th May 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical Overview of the Traditional Ghanaian Seats

Appiah-Kubi¹,

Inkum²,

Owusu-Ansah³

et al. 2022

IJCH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Traditional Decorative Symbols and User Behavior: Experiences of Ghanaian and Chinese Seat Users

Appiah-Kubi,

Wu,

Atta-Asamoah

et al. 2023

Hu Arenas

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Traditional decorations, symbolic designs, or motifs on traditional seats do not only hold aesthetic values but also provide a conduit for expressing cultural philosophies and beliefs. In most Ghanaian and Chinese homes, seats meant for interior use are adorned with unique traditional symbols or decorative designs that continue to serve various domestic purposes. One unique value of traditional seats which needs to be documented is the effect and correlation between traditional symbols or decorative designs engineered in the seat and the behavior of people who continually use these artifacts. Using a mixedmethods approach, the study used a survey design. The data was sourced using interviews and questionnaires. 40 respondents were interviewed while 491 traditional seat users also responded to the questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used in analyzing the qualitative bit of the study while a Pearson Moment Correlation Coe cient (PMCC) was used to compute the extent of correlation between conveyed traditional symbols or decorative designs and the seat users' behavior. Traditional decorative designs such as Gye Nyame, Sankofa, Akoma, Bi-nka-bi, akofena, Odo nnyew e kwan, Hye Wonhye, Nyansapo, adinkrahene, Nkyinkyim, Mmere Dane, etc. which are associated with Ghanaians, and traditional Chinese decorative designs such as the bat, dragon, Moiré, eagle, elephant, the eight immortals, lotus ower, Kylin pattern, Babao pattern, ox, tiger, Buddha, etc. respectively conveyed on traditional Ghanaian and Chinese seat products negatively, neutrally, or positively affect the behavior of users of the seat (r = .4769, p = .00). Spiritually, the symbols or designs impact their prayer life, and their faith, and affect their fortune and luck. The feeling of comfort, courage, calmness, being optimistic, and being cheerful was the psychological impact of decorative designs. Culturally, users of traditional seat-bearing decorative designs or symbolic designs have become more tolerant, patient, chaste, honest, and loyal while they have also been assertive and unrelenting. Psychologically, it affects users' comfort, courage, calmness, being optimistic, and being cheerful, while users' personal development may also be affected leading to an automatic correlation with behavior. It was recommended that people should be encouraged to use traditional seats with traditional decorations or symbols that have positive meanings to help shape their lives in a positive direction.

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Supply-chain Disruptions under COVID: A Window of Opportunity for Local Producers?

Haugen,

Obeng

2024

Forum for Development Studies

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THE The Heritage of Ghanaian Traditional Furniture Culture

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Historical Overview of the Traditional Ghanaian Seats

Historical Overview of the Traditional Ghanaian Seats

Traditional Decorative Symbols and User Behavior: Experiences of Ghanaian and Chinese Seat Users

Supply-chain Disruptions under COVID: A Window of Opportunity for Local Producers?

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