The R&T Extra! November 2006
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The R&T Extra! November 2006 |
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Subscribe/un-subscribe to our e-mail newsletter In this issue: |
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Yoruba Beadwork: Survival of an Ancient Tradition It's a testament to human perseverance that Yoruba traditions have survived to this day. Pressures have strained this West African culture for hundreds of years, including extensive contact with Muslim and Christian cultures (about 90% of Yoruba today are Christian or Muslim), harsh centuries of the slave trade (1502-1853), British colonization (1885-1960), and the political and economic struggles of post-colonial nation building. Yet Yoruba traditions have survived, and they continue to evolve — including fabulous beadwork!
Archeological evidence shows that people were living in what came to be Yorubaland (roughly southwest Nigeria plus parts of current-day Benin and Togo) as early as 9000 BCE. By the fourth century BCE, ceramic and iron-working industries had been established in the region, and by the first century BCE farming was practiced there. By the first century CE, a bead-making industry was flourishing in the city of Ilé-Ifa, a cultural and religious center. This indicates that beadwork has been an important part of Yoruba culture for two thousand years! By the 1000s, several independent, affluent city-states supported high levels of artistic achievement, including terracotta, bronze and ivory sculpture. The region remained affluent for several hundred more years. But, during the 16th century, regional wars and the Atlantic slave trade spurred a long economic and political decline. Even after the slave trade was abolished, British colonization, followed by the creation of the Nigerian State, continued to challenge traditional Yoruba ways. Despite centuries of deterrence, some Yoruba still do maintain traditional practices, including traditional religious rites and festivals. Continued religious practice, continued reverence for Yoruba royalty, and continued passing of skills within artisan families, have together kept Yoruba beadwork alive. Beaded crowns, footstools, pouches and other artifacts still signify high social status. Using them is still the privilege of kings and religious leaders (babalawos, translated as "fathers of mystery"). The use of seed beads, common in Yoruba beadwork today, was not prevalent until the 19th century. However, seed-bead designs are thought to reflect both structural elements and symbols of earlier beadwork. Information about the origins of the Yoruba "belts" we sell is hard to find! However, it's likely they are simplified versions of religious staff sheaths. Large iron staffs are the emblem of Orisha-Oko, a god associated with farm work and women (women are traditionally the farmers in Yoruba society). The Tomkins Collection provides a good example of an Orisha-Oko staff. Priestesses use these staffs in religious ceremonies, and the elaborate sheaths protect the staffs when they are not in use. To see a typical sheath, check out the beaded sheath in the Tomkins Collection. According to one expert, images of human faces with vertical stripes (found on staff covers and "belts") represent Orisha-Oko priestesses in religious regalia. While Yoruba beadwork made for the market is not meant to hold the same spiritual and political power as that made for kings, babalawos or priestesses, it is still handcrafted by Yoruba artists and includes traditional imagery and patterns. These beaded works of art make great unique gifts for the holidays! In addition to beaded belts (wall hangings), Rings & Things carries beaded Yoruba crowns (pictures coming soon!) and Yoruba necklaces. Plus, we currently have an elaborate beaded box/basket for sale. Because these objects are large and detailed, our online-store images cannot do them justice! If possible, visit our Spokane, WA warehouse to see these works of art in person. Find out more about the Yoruba people and Nigeria through Wikipedia. Plus, see what the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies has to say about beadwork throughout Africa.
Trivia Question: Which of the following singers has known Yoruba ancestry?: | ||||||||
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Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Our Lively Limited Stock Section
Our 2007-08 Catalog is premiering in January with exciting new beads and findings! In the meantime, other products are being discontinued. Now is the time to grab these great limited stock items while you can! Our Limited Stock Web page is currently brimming. In fact, we've had to expand the page to make room for beads, beads and more beads! If you haven't looked at our Limited Stock offerings for a while, be sure to check out what's here today, gone tomorrow in:
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Heads-Up On Holiday Closures
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The Yoruba people are an ethnic/cultural group that make up approximately 30% of current-day Nigeria's population. They are the majority population in southwest Nigeria, where tropical forests dominate the landscape. Yoruba also live in significant numbers in Benin and Togo, countries that lie to the west of Nigeria. Plus, Yoruba and their descendants have lived in Brazil, Cuba, the Caribbean and the United States since the 1500s, primarily as a result of the slave trade. Yoruba history doesn't just go back to the 1500s, though. It goes back thousands of years!
Also, Karen Pennebaker of Troy, West Virginia, noticed an error in our article about Halloween. We said that trick-or-treat was an American invention that didn't exist until the 1950s. But Karen pointed out that her parents, "born before World War I, went trick-or-treating as children ... In the 1940s, in West Virginia, trick-or-treat night was often accompanied by a town costume parade." On further investigation, we learned that historians agree trick-or-treating has been practiced in the United States since at least 1915. The first known printing of the term "trick-or-treat" appeared in 1934. For more information, check out 
Between road shows, classes, purchasing trips and more, there's a lot going on at Rings & Things! From now on, you'll be able to see our updated "String of Events" calendar each month in the R&T Extra. Here's what's happening this month: