African Beads

Each African Bead carries its own story ; a
rich history and story behind it . Many will
have had numerous owners, and seen
multiple continents by the time they arrive to
you. African beads and jewelry have played
an enormous role in the culture , fashion ,
economy, and artistic expression of the
African people . Today , they are cherished by
collectors, jewelry makers , and everyday
people who just love wearing African beads !

The Basics of African Beads

The term African Beads is used to refer to
both beads locally produced by indigenous
people of the African continent as well as
Trade Beads that have traveled from other
parts of the world and now circulate or were
recently sourced from Africa . Together these
beads have played an enormous role in the
culture , fashion , economy, and artistic
expression of the African people . Today , they
are cherished by collectors , jewelry makers,
and everyday people who just love wearing
African beads ! African tribal beads and glass
beads also hold a special mythical
significance as well.

Beads and Beadmaking have a long history in
Africa. Beads have been made by indigenous
Africans for thousands of years. In ancient
times Egyptians , Greeks , and Indians
established trading bases in East Africa and
eventually the Arabs invaded in the eighth
century and established trade routes with the
wealthy kingdom of Ghana in modern day
Mauritania. The Arabs brought glass beads
to the Niger Delta to trade for gold and
slaves. European explorers and traders began
to arrive in the 15 th century and this was
followed by a tremendous influx of beads
during the colonial period . At the peak of
trade it is estimated that beads accounted
for 40% of total imports or 2. 5 lbs glass
beads /year for every man , women and child .
Today the tradition of beads continues to be
ingrained in African culture and old trade
beads are still used for internal commerce .
The modern production of beads is in some
sense a family tradition where tools and
techniques are passed from one generation to
the next. Beadmaking is a labor - intensive
process and since many beads are hand
made, this leads to variability in the
appearance of individual beads even within a
single strand. Production of beads is
distributed throughout many countries on the
African continent however the Hausa people
of West Africa are particularly known for
dominating the bead trade where they travel
extensively to locate beads in villages, modify
many beads , and sell them to local and
foreign merchants .

African Beads are made from a diverse array
of materials. Some of the oldest beads were
made from natural materials such as stones,
clay, plant materials such as doum palm
nuts and bamboo stems , animal materials
such as ostrich eggshells, bones such as the
Batik Bone bead of Kenya , buffalo horn, and
marine shells such as the Conus. These
materials continue to be used today .

Similarly , metal beads have been made from
gold, bronze , and brass especially in West
African countries such as Ghana , Ivory
Coast, Nigeria , Mali, Cameroon , and Senegal.
Silver has also been traditionally popular in
Ethiopia. Finally , glass beadmaking is also an
ancient tradition in Africa where it has been
practiced for at least 1000 years. The two
techniques for making glass beads that
dominate in Africa are Powder - glass
Beadmaking and Bida Glass Beadmaking .

The uses of beads in Africa are as varied as
the materials used to make them . Beadwork
is very popular in many African nations and
is integrated into many art forms including
clothing such as the stand -out collars of the
Maasai tribe, headdresses and belts, wooden
sculptures, small leather amulets , and a
myriad of jewelry items where beads are
regarded as items of wealth, power , and
status. Because of their long history , beads
continue to play a role in many traditional
rites and ceremonies such as coming -of - age,
circumcision, marriage , burial , and local
festivals.

The number of different African and African
Trade Bead varieties in existence today is
enormous. Any attempt at classification is
further complicated by the fact that many
beads have been reworked and redecorated
over time to conform to local tastes and
preferences . Some of the most well known
varieties of African Beads today are Krobo
Beads, Kakamba Beads , Mali Clay Beads and
Mali Wedding Beads, Chevrons, Millefiori ,
Vaseline Beads , White Heart Beads , Kiffa
Beads, and Hebron Beads.

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timpaker:
Very colourful.
I once wore a bead on my wrist back then in school and my Head of Department tagged me a cultist and another lady accused me that I use it as a juju to pass exams and also chase after women (wetin concern me sef. I bn dey feel like Jazzman Olofin)
I think people need to read this and not just think fetish of the people that value and wear them.

Lols funny Bro...I once wore a bead too in my Secondary School days, then, my peeps do call me juju master.
Thanks Bro. How ave u bin?