African Woven Colander / Church Seat 1900's

This large round object appears to be a colander used in cooking, but we were told that it is actually a seat used at church services in the Central African Republic. Villagers made the seat themselves and wore the seat on their heads when they went to church because there were no pews in the bush churches back then, just a sitting space and pulpit. The seat was made of wood curved to form concentric circles and four thick branches were set underneath to support the chair. Thin plant fibers held the branches in place. The seat measures 11 1/2 in. high x 15 in. across. From the Dale Baker collection.