Kenya ✓ Verified craft Beaded jewellery
Maasai beadwork
Glass-bead collars, bracelets and belts whose colours and patterns tell age, status and community.
Glass beadsLeather Beading
Maasai women thread tiny glass beads onto wire and leather to make collars, headdresses and bracelets. Each colour has a meaning: red for bravery, blue for the sky and water, green for the land. Beadwork marks life stages and is worn at ceremonies.
Key information
Type
Beaded jewellery
Materials
Glass beads, Leather
Techniques
Beading
Origin
Kenya
Regions
Kajiado
Transmission
Mothers to daughters
Active since
Living tradition
Meaning & stories
Colours and patterns are a visual language of age, status and belonging.
Read the full story →From challenges to innovations
Challenges
- Mass-produced copies
- Bead supply costs
Existing innovations
- Women's cooperatives selling internationally
Join the community
Meet them
Meet the artisans who keep this craft alive.
Have knowledge to share?
Contribute
Add a story, a technique or a video to this craft.
