Maasai beadwork and the meaning of colors

For the Maasai of Kenya and northern Tanzania, beadwork is a women's art that accompanies them all their lives. Their wide collars, bracelets and earrings are ornament, identity and language at once: each color and combination can carry a message.

Who and where #

The Maasai are a pastoral people of East Africa. Ornaments vary with age, marital status and occasion. Glass beads arrived with European trade in the 19th century; before that, seeds, bone, clay and shells were used.

Materials and techniques #

• Colored glass beads, strung or sewn onto leather.
• Wire and cord as the framework of the wide collars.
• Ornaments are made by hand, generally by women.

Traditional pieces and their meaning #

• Wide disc collars: cover the chest with concentric rings of color.
• Bracelets and anklets: bands of beads worn daily or at ceremonies.
• Earrings: large beaded ornaments, which go with the stretching of the earlobe.
• Wedding jewelry: especially elaborate pieces for ceremonies.

The tradition today #

In the most widespread interpretation, red is associated with bravery and strength; blue with the sky and water; green with the land and health; white with peace; orange and yellow with hospitality; and black with the people and their struggle. Meanings vary between communities and contexts. Today many women's cooperatives sell their work directly.

See also #

• Glass and crystal
• Leather
• Symbols in traditional jewelry and their meaning
• How to buy artisan and Indigenous jewelry ethically