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Beads have always been a vital part of material culture throughout Afrika and simultaneously serve sacred, secular, social and aesthetic functions. In West Afrika in particular, beads adorn the hair and body in the form of headdresses; earrings; necklaces; arm, wrist and ankle bracelets; belts; and sashes. Beads do also adorn everyday and ceremonial clothing, as well as sculptures, charms, fetishes and other ritual objects. In addition 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. The personal use of beads begins in infancy, where the mother will place a string of beads on the child to thwart evil spirits. Common throughout West Afrika is the use of a string of beads around the waist of a child, which is said to promote good health.
Another example are the Bakongo where a similar practice exists using a bead that is 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 childs head would be adorned with shells that would prevent the “devil” from carrying the child away.
Pregnant women in Ghana and also among the Mende people wear beads to ensure protection of the baby. The very use of the beads as amulets of protection stems from the perception that objects are infused with a spiritual power or force and 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 for example again, beads are an important artifact in the relationship between a person and an orisha. When a person receives the “ilekes” which is a beaded necklace and of specific colours, he or she receives not only protection of the orisha, but the orishas 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 do vary with the region, but the most popular are glass, wood, shells and seeds and the choice and meaning of colours also vary from culture to culture.
