Beads

Beads are a vital part of material culture throughout Africa and simultaneously serve sacred, secular, social, and aesthetic functions. In West Africa in particular, beads adorn the hair and body in the form of headdresses; earrings; necklaces; arm, wrist, and ankle bracelets; belts; and sashes. Beads also adorn everyday and ceremonial clothing, as well as sculptures, charms, fetishes, and other ritual objects. In the past, beads were used as currency in some areas.

Beads express personal style, but also convey social standing, wealth, age, marital status, cultural, and spiritual affiliation. For example, in Benin, a beaded cuff bracelet with a diamond pattern would identify the wearer as a married woman. A red, pink, dark blue, black, and white beaded fringed belt in South Africa would be worn by a diviner and would convey his status and association with light, energy, knowledge, and purity.

The personal use of beads begins in infancy, where the mother will place a string of beads on the child to thwart evil spirits. One such example is found among the Yoruba, who place wristlets of beads on infants to protect them from the [Page 116]vengeful spirits of children who died in infancy. Common throughout West Africa is the use of a string of beads around the waist of a child, which is said to promote good health. Among the Bakongo, a similar practice exists using a single bead made from a wooden disk or seed. This bead is tied and hung around the child's neck, waist, or ankle and serves to guide the child's soul so that it reaches old age safely. Sometimes the beads would be fashioned into a net that would be worn like a shirt or the child's head would be adorned with shells that would prevent the Devil from carrying the child away.

Pregnant women in Ghana and among the Mende wear beads to ensure protection of the baby. The use of beads as amulets of protection stems from the perception that objects are infused with a spiritual power or force. Some objects, such as beads, have more power than others. Specific beads, such as the akori bead, were highly valued. This bead was used in rituals, burials, and jewelry. In Ghana, this bead was once equal to gold in value.

Not all beads are used strictly as a form of protection. Among the Yoruba, beads are an important artifact in the relationship between a person and an orisha. When a person receives the ilekes, a beaded necklace of specific colors, he or she receives not only the protection of the orisha, but the orisha's spiritual force. Beads were also used to decorate ritual objects such as calabashes that hold ceremonial palm wine in Cameroon. The material from which beads are made varies with the region, but the most popular materials are glass, wood, shells, and seeds. The choice and meaning of colors also vary from culture to culture.