Beads - an integral part of African jewelry

Africa is known for its beautiful handmade jewelry. There is no denying that many times beads are an integral part of them. In addition to the charm they add, they are easy to make, all according to strict tribal rules. African jewelry rarely has only an ornamental purpose, but more on that later.

Beads made in Africa have long been known as trade beads - they have been used as currency for centuries. They were discovered around 10,000 BC, and Libya is cited as their place of origin. As mentioned above - this type of ornamentation is made on the basis of tribal rules. It is worth mentioning that, depending on the situation in which beaded jewelry was dressed, it could be associated in a different way. This type of jewelry was worn especially on special occasions, such as weddings. Women of the Pokot tribe living in Kenya and Uganda are recognizable for wearing beautiful collars and wide necklaces, which of course do not lack beads. Women of the Turkana tribe, on the other hand, wear jewelry with beads that suggest their social status. Nigerian kings were known for their amazing crowns, which also made use of beads.

In the past, jewelry made in Africa was a major export product. Over time, it was even exchanged for clothing, food and other necessities. African jewelry was hardly ever treated as mere adornment - it was the various kinds of rituals, beliefs and ceremonies that played a greater role here. Consequently, it was easy to see that African people wore various types of jewelry - it could signal, among other things, the attainment of manhood, puberty and even marriage.

African artisans continue to create unique jewelry using beads, which, depending on the region and tribe inhabited, have their own individual characteristics. The production and sale of beads has long been a major source of income for a huge number of people on this beautiful continent. African jewelry is said to have been created for thousands of years, and the oldest one that was discovered in one of South Africa's caves is about 74,300 years old!

One wonders how the tribes managed to make such beautiful jewelry. They made it only from natural materials that were readily available to them. These were mainly paper, amber, bones, ivory, wood, metal, shells, hair, stones. The natural materials used to create jewelry were not only easy to obtain, but were also stunning in their beauty. The most fashionable types of jewelry that were readily created were belly chains, necklaces, ankle chains, bracelets, and all kinds of head and full-body ornaments. This shows that the available assortment was quite large and everyone could find the right jewelry for themselves and for any occasion.

As you might guess, this and Africa have different trends even when it comes to jewelry. Currently, the most popular jewelry is beaded, gold, shell, elephant hair, bone. The most important thing is that the jewelry should be made only of natural materials - only then does it have any value.

In fact, in every culture jewelry is a very important fashion aspect especially for women who wanted to look beautiful. This is probably what influenced the use of such a variety of materials for jewelry. Every woman is different and has different preferences and thus they had choices. However, they were not always guided by personal preferences for appearance because the choice of jewelry was usually governed by their beliefs and culture.

According to many beliefs there, jewelry has tremendous power - it can protect its wearer from many negative things. Selected jewelry can testify to the wealth of its wearer, but it can just as well protect against the loss of land, from the devil, as well as provide blessings and a life of happiness. Belief in the power of jewelry is firmly rooted in the lives of every African. It is the legends that hint at what they can do to live a happy and healthy life, as well as warn against evil, which should be avoided like fire. African jewelry has an interesting and long past therefore each has something magical in it.

The people of Africa, regardless of the tribe to which they belong, are deeply religious people. That is why jewelry is of great importance to them. Each item has a certain meaning, the knowledge of which is extremely important. Taking the example of a bracelet using elephant hair - legend says that this kind of jewelry protects from any harm and disease, and also provides good luck. Such bracelets usually have two, four or six loops, and each loop represents a different supernatural force.

The two knots of elephant hair represent the earth (i.e. fertility and descendants) and nature (i.e. souls and strength). This combination is meant to balance nature and earth. The four knots refer to fire, snow, sun, wind and water, or Mother Nature and all her elements. Strands of hair passing through the knots symbolize all four seasons. For Africans, this is a very important matter, which is why the six knots represent the combination of all the seasons along with the things mentioned above. It is worth mentioning that the bracelet with six knots is not so popular in Africa by the difficulty of making it. In addition, it does not look very nice.

It can be said that the people of Africa are deeply religious people, for whom the most important things are blessings, health, family. For them, jewelry is one of the ways to cope with adversity, as well as to prevent misfortune. Unlike European countries, the people there do not want to adorn their bodies but their souls. Jewelry, not only that with beads, is simple to make and pretty, but also practical and plays an important role in every African's life.

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Fluorite - properties, colors, uses and spiritual significance of the stone

Kayapo clothing - people from heaven

Onyx green agate

Himba nation - unusual jewelry of the Red Women

Beads - an integral part of African jewelry

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