From something as small as a bead, life can blossom, thrive, wither, or even die. This can also become a source of protection, a status symbol, inspiration, or a beauty accessory. What else can I say? In many parts of Uganda, beads are an integral part of daily life.
Pamela Anying, from Abim in Karamoja, says beads help them pick someone out of the crowd. This is because they can distinguish between a girl and a woman, or between married and unmarried women, based on the way they wear their beads.
“We have attractive beads because they are of different colours,” says Anying, adding that they are important for courtship. “The young ones wear more beads than the married ladies.”
She added, “The young women will put beads around the waist, neck, and also the hands to make them attractive.”
In parts of Buganda, beads adorn the waist, wrist, and ankles of babies, especially girls. This helps to create distinct curves between the upper and lower parts of the body.
As the wedding bells toll in western Uganda, Banyankole use beads known as nkwazi as part of their head gear during traditional ceremonies.
In northern Uganda and the West Nile, people are not strangers to beads. In fact, a popular legend recounts that a bead ignited a conflict, giving rise to two tribes: the Alur in West Nile and the Acholi in northern Uganda. This prompted migration to the eastern and western parts of Uganda. As the Luo moved away from the Nile, they formed new tribes, such as the Japhadhola in Tororo and the Jaluo in western Uganda. Where is this historical bead? It’s time for you to go and ask the Alur and Acholi people!
Barak Obama, the former President of the United States, is a descendant of the Jaluo people in western Kenya. His relatives live in Kisumu and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
This implies that a single bead contributed to the election of the US’s first black president. At that time, the movement of people helped to avoid diseases and also paved the way for the restoration of the environment.
The Bamasaba or Bagisu on the slopes of Mountain Elgon also wear beads during circumcision. “We have a lot of beads growing in the circumcision year (every even year),” says William Wandera, a resident of Mbale in eastern Uganda. “We thread them and decorate our boys, preparing for circumcision.”
As decorative pieces, beads are pleasing to the eye. Such beads are always present, as they are companions. This comes in bags, leather wear, and dancing costumes in different parts of the country. In some cases, they act as curtains.
Before colonialism and Arab traders arrived in Uganda and East Africa, cowrie shells, also known as shell beads, provided a medium of exchange for goods and services. Cowrie shells have significantly impacted people’s lives and are integral to cultural practices.
Do beads arrest demons? I do not know. I know the demon chasers should be strong in their Christian faith to emulate Jesus and chase the dark powers. Beads, mostly white to reflect purity, also form some of the rosaries in Kampala and other parts of the country.
The beads add colour to the East African community’s unity. The bangles and wrist bands come in three colours, namely black, yellow, and red. I know you are about to say that those colours belong to Uganda’s national flag. How about black, red, and green? How about black, green, and blue?
Whether collected from the wild or crafted by hand, beads have emerged as a crucial source of income for unemployed youth, women, and mothers. This is part of the low-hanging fruit for the vulnerable, who are making a living off-hand in craft enterprises.
