The seats reserved for high-ranking notables are to this day a symbol of dignity and power. They are the main regalia of the Asante rulers. Their role varies depending on whether they are a simple commodity or a symbol of the entire state.

All Asante stools have the same basic form, with variations in the central support. Carved with the grain running
horizontally, a central column rises from a stepped base to support a curved rectangular seat. Asante stools
resemble those used on the Dahomey coast during the 19th century. 

Every Akan person has a personal stool carved for them. Nobody else may sit on that stool, for it contains the
personal power of the owner. The deceased person is washed on their stool before burial, and it is then placed
on its side in a shrine where family members can leave offerings to the deceased.

There is a very special intimacy between the owner and the seat: the Asante wisdom says that there are no secrets between them. The seats are kept as memorabilia by the bereaved until no one can remember the previous owners.