CUUNO (ROUND STOOL WITH HANDLE)
[1,2,9-11]: CUUNO (ROUND STOOL WITH HANDLE)
[3]: Map of the Gwembe Valley between Zambia and Zimbabwe
[4]: A description and photo of a cuuno stool, calling out its distinct form: mirrored seat and base, central column and occasional handle
[5]: How cuunos are carved
[6]: A man carves wood with an axe in Mukuni, Zambia. Though he’s not making a cuuno, the tools and methods are similar
[7,8,12]: A variety of cuuno stool designs featuring different column styles, some with and without handles, and a four-legged outlier
[13]: “The Material Culture of the Peoples of the Gwembe Valley” by Barrie Reynolds. Donated to and shelved at @seedarchives (seedarchives.com)From: Tonga (Batonga) culture, Zimbabwe 🇿🇼; also Zambia 🇿🇲Source [1,2,9-11]: @ambiant
Source [3,4📝,5,7,8,12,13]: @seedarchives
Source [4🪑]: @pamono
Source [6]: BlackBoxGuild on Shutterstock
Source notes [1,2,9-11]:
“A traditional stool of the Tonga (Batonga) tribe, who lived in the Zambezi River basin between Zimbabwe and Zambia in southern Africa. Traditionally owned only by the head of the Tonga tribe, this stool representing male authority and symbolism is carved out of a single tree and comes in a variety of designs...”
Source notes [3,4📝,5,7,8,12,13]:
“Round stools - cuuno: these are by far the most common and the most popular. They comprise two thick ‘saucers’ of wood, one of which is inverted to form the base while the other forms the actual seat. The stem that links them varies in design…A handle is also sometimes added”
Source notes [6]:
“Mukuni Village, Livingstone / Zambia - 10 12 2017: Close-up of an African man wood-working with an adze”.Observations: portability, graphic design, beauty without compromising stability, graphic design / considering an object’s 2D profile/the shadow it leaves, formal harmony, balancing standardization and variety in formal design language, continuation of a design language.