African Waist Beads

Waist Beads

 

So awhile ago my Godmother asked me to make some adjustments to a couple of her African waist beads. I must admit this was the first time I’ve actually heard about waist beads, needless to say I had to look them up. Again, I love the cultural symbolism with jewellery and waist beads tick all the boxes.  Thought to have originated from Yoruba tribes in West Africa, and popular within Nigeria and Ghana, the beads can be perceived as a symbol of femininity, sensuality and fertility, not to mention simply as an ornamental fashion item.

Supernatural associations with the beads range from a symbol of protection to pregnant women, and my favourite, a lure used by brides for their new husbands!

I don’t normally use seed beads for anything other than ‘spacers’, but African waist beads have definitely inspired me to do something with 1kg wholesale packet of brown seed beads I’ve been struggling to use!

What to do with these...