Beading with the Maasai women - July 31, 2009

The Maasai women and men wear beautiful beaded jewelry - one of the trademarks of this culture.



One afternoon the elder women of the community came by to show us how they create the necklaces, collars, anklets and earrings. Although they don't speak English, and we, obviously, don't speak Maasai, the communication back and forth as we watch, and then were encouraged to try our own hands at the beading, was easy and full of laughter.




Mama Kakuta took me on as a novice, and showed me how she uses a small awl to pick up the beads and thread them around a hoop made from a plastic lid to create a beautiful bracelet.




I asked if the jewelry has any significance. Through Samuel we learned that the necklaces and earrings are primarily created for their beauty; they don't have special significance related to martial status some of the jewelry in India does. Some of the jewelry carries messages about which age group you belong to or the place you come from. The beads are typically set in patterns that have high contrast. A darker field is set next to the lighter colors; contrasts are seen as a reflection of the opposites that occur in the natural world - day/night, sun/rain, youth/age.

Another important function of the large circular necklaces, according to Samuel, is that in the dance and song competitions that are an important part of this culture, the women show their flexibility by how the necklaces move on their necks as they dance.




Beadwork has a long history among the Maasai. Before glass beads were available, the Maasai used natural objects for ornamentation. White beads were made from clay or bone, blue beads from iron or horn and red beads from seeds, copper or brass. But by the late 19th century, glass beads began to be traded widely in East Africa, and the Maasai women adopted them for their necklaces and bracelets, and the designs became more intricate.





After the beading lesson, the women set up a small market for us. There is something very satisfying about buying from the people who actually make the goods - much different than purchasing the same bracelet in a market in Nairobi.