Gurage Kata 'Sleepwalker' Partition Panel, Based

Nine feet of wood, and a country that was old when this was carved.

Ethiopia’s traditions reach back more than three thousand years. The Gurage built large round homes of wood and thatch, and panels like this kata, carved in the mid 18th century, helped divide the interior space.

The board is long and narrow, tapering gently toward the base, and stands more than nine feet tall. Fine vertical grooves follow the grain across its face, softened and darkened over generations to a deep chocolate brown.

Quiet and monumental. It does not decorate a wall so much as hold one up in spirit.