Beading is a major craft of the Maasai people. Much of the jewelry they wear is symbolic through colors and patterns.
Beadworking has a long history among the Maasai.
In the nineteenth century, beads were produced mostly from local raw materials.
White beads were made from clay, shells, ivory, or bone.
Black and blue beads were made from iron, charcoal, seeds, clay, or horn.
Red beads came from seeds, woods, gourds, bone, ivory, copper, or brass.
In the late nineteenth century, great quantities of brightly colored European glass beads arrived in East Africa.
The women beadworkers replaced the older beads with the new materials.
They began to use more elaborate color schemes in their bead designs.
Today, Maasai prefer dense, opaque glass beads with no surface decoration and a naturally smooth finish.