Hey Fashionistas! It's been a long while since I've been here but I'm back! I have always had a love for beads, stones and crystals and the way women adorn their bodies with jewelry to make a statement. Waistbeads are my new favorite form of body jewelry and it has a history worth exploring and sharing with all of you beautiful goddesses!
In West Africa, the tradition of wearing waistbeads was made popular by the Yoruban tribe of Nigeria. They are worn as a celebration of womanhood, sexuality, femininity, fertility, healing, spirituality, bodyshaping, protection, and wealth. Waistbeads can be considered as "African Lingerie". In Egypt, waistbeads were called girdles.
Throughout several countries in Africa, belly beads have been used to adorn girls and women and indicate how they have matured and grown. Waistbeads have different meaning ranging from rites of passage to enticing your husband to healing and rejuvenation. The art of adorning oneself has been practiced since the beginning of time.
The earliest powder glass beads were found in present day Zimbabwe dating back to 970-1000CE but from colonial times to the present day the main area of powder glass bead manufacture is West African particularly the Yoruba tribes of African population now settled within Nigeria. The tradition also extended to Ghana which is regarded the Bead Production Capital of the world. Women wear African waist beads as an expression of wealth, aristocracy, and of femininity. Beads adorn babies during naming ceremonies and young girls entering puberty. Beads are said to possess the power to evoke deep emotional responses. In addition, they are believed to be signs of affluence as well as a spiritual well being.
Traditionally, a successful suitor would commission a set of beads for the wrist, neck, ankles, arm and waist of his bride, which formed part of her dowry and the foundation of her wealth. In West Africa the tradition became such that women wear multiple strings of beads around her waist and in some cultures, the only person allowed to remove them was her husband on wedding night.
Now that you goddessess know the history get some beautiful waistbeads made for you . I'm here for all your creation needs. Email crownsoulcreations@gmail.com or visit my etsy store -crown soul creations. Link to beads for a goddess!- http://www.etsy.com/listing/527940643/eye-of-heru-waistbead.
Thanks for reading this blog!
Peace, Love & Light,
Carmen M.Carriker
"Be like a diamond precious & rare, not like a stone found everywhere..."
