Yoruba Waistbeads
Waist beads are accessories with deep cultural significance in Africa. The cultural significance of waist beads is peculiar to each region, however, there are similarities in most of its functions. The use of beads especially waist beads in Nigeria is widespread across the various ethnicities that make up the nation. However, the Yorubas are known to have the most varied and peculiar reasons for using waist beads. Yoruba waist beads are also called Ileke, Jigida, and Lagidigba.
The Yorubas have developed a culture of bead usage that cuts across both material and spiritual aspects of the life of the people. The Yoruba waistbeads are made from small pieces of glass, nuts, wood, or metal which are pierced, strung, and threaded together. The beads come in varying degrees of color, length, and
even quality.
Read Also: Yoruba Traditional Hairstyles
Waist beads have been worn for centuries by women in many West African cultures. In Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and other West African countries, waist beads are a symbol of femininity, fertility, sensuality, and spiritual well-being. Today, women use waist beads for aesthetic and practical purposes.
The Yorubas however, have the most cherished usage attached to waistbeads.
Decoration
Yoruba women wear waist beads to adorn their bodies. Waist beads are colourful, shiny and attractive just like any other modern accessory like a watch, earring or necklace. Waist beads are very feminine and beautiful.
Posture
Waist beads can help a person become more aware of their stomach and posture. The beads fit quite differently depending on how one is sitting and breathing. They can serve as a reminder to sit up straight, engage your stomach muscles, relax your back, and breathe properly.
Pregnancy
Waist beads are believed to enhance fertility. It could be because the sexual attractiveness of the beads increases the rate of sexual intercourse between couples. However, sometimes the beads can be laced with charms that promote fertility, protect pregnancy, and make child-bearing easy.
Proof of Chastity
Waist beads are used to determine if a woman is chaste or provocative, by watching the rolling of the beads as she walks. It is believed that loose/unchaste women roll their waists seductively to gain attention from the opposite sex. There is a popular belief in Yoruba land that “it is the beads that make
the buttocks to shake.”
Weight Control
Some women use the waist beads as a means of watching and controlling their weight. When the waist beads become tight, then it is time to restrict one’s diet.
Spiritual Protection
Traditionally, it is believed that the Orisas, devotees of water deities, and priestesses wear waist beads as a means of protection from malicious water spirits. They also wear waist beads to adorn their dresses. It is also believed that spiritual beads protect pregnancies from spirits and evil charms.
Royalty
Some waist beads depict royalty. They are expensive, rare, and are made of high-quality materials. Royal queens, princesses, and other women of royalty wear these beads to distinguish themselves from others.
Rites of Passage
Waist beads are also used as a rite of passage. As a girl grows, she switches her old waist beads for newer ones that are more suitable for her growing body. Girls were expected to wear waist beads from an early age to help them achieve more rounded feminine features.
Wearing waist beads in Yoruba land continues to be a significant aspect of the Yoruba culture. Get yours from https://waistbeadswoman.com/