Oromo Chair with Cowhide Seat & Back

A chair made with branches, hide and no apology.

Oromo makers of Ethiopia, East Africa, built this chair with a cowhide seat and back in wood and leather in the late 19th or early 20th century. Low hide-seated chairs of this sort are commonly associated with household seating across the Horn of Africa. A tall, narrow back panel of stretched hide is laced to a frame of rough branches, with pointed tips at the top corners. The hide shows pale, mottled markings and a worn, tan surface.

About 40 inches tall. Sit gently, or simply admire it. Either is honorable.