From stunning crystals to beaded jewels, women around the world have been wearing waist beads as a fashion statement and celebration of their womanhood for decades. Whether you get them tied on or order them online, waist beads are a staple for Black women. Celebrities, like Beyoncé and Lupita Nyong’o, have publicly donned bejeweled midriffs.
These body necklaces adorning the hips of women will forever be in style. But, how much do you actually know the true historical significance behind waist beads? Here’s some things you need to know about the roots of this ritual and what they meant for your ancestors.
The History of Waist Beads
Waist beads date back to the 15th century. Ancient African (most notably, West African) and ancient Egyptian cultures would bead them onto women for different reasons. Some of these reasons included adornment, body shaping and status. Serving as an ancient scale, waist beads are said to have originated with the Yoruba tribe, commonly known as Giri-Giri, Yomba, or Jigida in parts of Nigeria.
A symbol of celebration for womanhood, sexuality, femininity, fertility, healing, spirituality, protection and wealth, they’ve often been worn to mark a rite of passage for women. Waist beads marked the goalposts on a girl’s evolution from maiden to matriarch. Made of stones, bone, coral, or crystals, the specificity in color and natural material integrate deeper meaning into choosing of beads.
With a woman’s body upheld as a sacred temple, waist beads can be an offering to her divinity. In fact, certain ethnic groups ritualize alongside the beads. The Krobo people of Ghana participate in annual Dipo ceremonies, where adolescent girls transition into adulthood with beads, dance, head-shaving, and river-dipping by their mothers. In Igbo culture, both men and women have been wearing waist beads, dating back to 500 BC. It is an essential item a groom must present to his bride. For the Hausas of Nigeria, it’s common to see newborns with beads around their waist. Their mothers may also adorn their daughters at a certain age to indicate that she’s mature and ready to marry a suitor.
The Cultural Impact Today
In modern times, they serve a variety of purposes relative to the woman’s intention. From weight management and deeper self-connection to a simple accessory, it is a tool for mindfulness. Their tightness invokes discomfort if the woman overeats, serving as an invitation to become more embodied and build dialogue with her vessel.
There’s no right or wrong way to wear waist beads. Take some time to think about how long this tradition has been in practice. Infuse some of those traditional elements into your own practice. That may look like switching out your waist beads during big changes in your own life. It could also be aligning the bead colors and crystals you choose with where you stand in your womanhood today.