Tonga Stools and Zambian Culture

Please forgive me, I wrote a post but the app froze.
I was very interested in what elements of traditional Zambian culture were still around and what form they existed in. Fortunately Dr. Thomas has a wealth of knowledge on the topic and is eager to share it with me. Here is some of what I have learned so far.

Tribal culture is strong in some areas and has disappeared in others. One of the areas that it still strongly exists in is government. Zambians are governed by two governing bodies, the Civic Administration and the Tribal Administration. The Civic Administration is just like it is in any government, there is a President, regional leaders/governers, there are Councilmen and public services. The Zambian Civic Administration takes care of things like legal matters, crime, legislation, infrastructure, economics and international relations. The Tribal Administration is run by Chiefs of the different tribes, and Headmen. The Headmen are under the Chiefs. The Tribal Administration deals with things like land distribution, who can live where, who can farm where. They also handle societal issues like conflicts between families and some lower level crimes. They coordinate ceremonies and are the guardians of Tribal culture in Zambia.

Another interesting thing that I learned about is the Tonga Stool. This is a handmade stool, made from a single piece of wood. This stool was traditionally used by the elders in meetings. It is also used by the head of the household, if they have a stool. Traditionally only the man of the house can sit on the stool, but some of those traditions have been relaxed. Dr. Thomas has had several made by Alfred, a carpenter in the Sikalongo region, and I will have the opportunity to watch him make some new ones from a tree that was recently cut down. I have attached a few photos of some for you to see. I have also attached a picture of David and his drums that he makes along the road to Lusaka.