Waist beads; charm, fantasy, tradition
Over time, there have been many explanations as to why women wear waist beads. Some say it is used to maintain their figure or body shape as they believe it’s a way a woman can measure whether or not she is adding or losing weight, while others believe it is to charm or create a […]
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Over time, there have been many explanations as to why women wear waist beads. Some say it is used to maintain their figure or body shape as they believe it’s a way a woman can measure whether or not she is adding or losing weight, while others believe it is to charm or create a fantasy for men. The charm factor has in many cases made some men to be suspicious of women who wear waist beads while some find them attractive. To unearth the secret behind the appeal, or otherwise, of waist beads, Weekend Trust spoke to several women who proudly wear them, men who either admire or shun them, and sellers who benefit from their continuous demand.
Jigida is a popular item for women in most cultures, especially in the eastern part of Nigeria, however, overtime the waist beads became a fashion trend amongst young ladies and women, old or young across tribe and cultural barriers.
Why women wear waist beads
Aishatu Abubakar, a 40-year-old mother of four from Bauchi State, said she started wearing waist beads at age 19. “I started wearing beads when my husband said he liked them,” she narrated. Aishatu added that besides her husband’s love for waist beads, she grew to love them herself, because it made her “feel beautiful and it helps me determine whether I am growing fatter or not.”
For Aishatu, the choice of colour or shapes for her waist beads did not matter. All that mattered was to make her husband happy.
She recounted moments her husband would frown when he discovered that she did not have her waist beads on and even said, he gave her money to buy them.
She also acknowledged that some of her friends, who are not married, tell her that they use waist beads as a means of attracting men, “because most men like it,” she added.
Another lady, Chioma Joshua, 33, from Imo State, told our reporter that she first saw waist beads on her friend when she moved to the northern part of the country. “I noticed my friend wearing waist beads, and was drawn to how beautiful they looked on her. She bought my first set for me, and since then, I’ve been wearing them regularly. Though wearing waist beads is not common practice in the southern part of Nigeria where I come from, but I absolutely loved them, even my husband likes them,” she said.
On her reasons for wearing waist beads, Chioma said she wears it only for fashion and self expression with no superstitious undertones.
Like many others, Fatima Allah-Kayi grew up to the familiar sight of her mother and grandmother wearing waist beads, which has made it “part of our tradition for generations,” she said.
She began wearing waist beads as a child, adding that waist beads attract men, especially the sounds that two or more beads make on a woman.
“I have heard about women wearing waist beads to charm men even though I don’t believe you have to put any charm on it to attract men because waist beads have a natural attraction, but all these things are peoples’ perception. I know that when you believe in something, it works for you.”
Speaking of some historical reasons why women wore waist beads, Mallam Mohammed Sale Umar, a middle aged man in Abuja who makes and sells waist beads, said in the past, “Our great grandparents wore waist beads just for the sake of enhancing their lower bodies so that they can have a fuller back side, some of them wore up to 20 waist beads for that singular reason,” adding that most ladies nowadays wear such beads with the intention of charming men into giving them whatever they ask for, especially money.
According to him, “Fulani women were mostly the ones who wore waist beads. Up till now, when you go to villages, you’d see a child of three with waist beads. Those ones are no charms but fashion statements just like in the olden days.”
Hajiya Binta Abdul, an Abuja resident, is among the category of women who do not fancy waist beads. Even from a tender age, she refused to wear the waist beads her mum bought for her saying, “It depends on individual perception, as some like it while others don’t.”
The attraction and repulsion for some men
Also speaking about his attraction to waist beads, Mallam Mohammed Umar said he likes his wife to wear waist beads at all times because it appeals to him. However, he said he will never let his daughters wear waist beads before they are married, because he believes wearing waist beads for single ladies is inappropriate and sends the wrong signals.
Though Mohammed Umar acknowledged that most women and men find waist beads appealing, he holds a negative view of single women who choose to wear them.
Harris Jacob, another Abuja resident, is indifferent about waist beads on women. He feels it is an attention seeker, “especially for women who wear clothings that reveal their waist beads. Men will always want to look the second time, but as for me, I don’t really care if my woman wears it or not.”
In contrast, an Adamawa-based business man, who simply chose to be called Talba, expressed critical views about women who wear waist beads, saying the “Stereotypes around it have shaped his opinion of it.” He sees women who wear waist beads, leg chains and nose rings the same way.
The different types
Some waist bead sellers at the Utako market Abuja, who spoke to Weekend Trust, said despite the different shapes and colours waist beads come in, there are two major categories of these beads for them – the normal beads and the charmed beads.
The ‘normal beads’ they say are regular beads that are purely for adornment without any mystical elements. On the other hand, the special beads according to Hajiya Aisha – a seasoned beads and ‘kayan mata’ seller in the market, are normal beads but infused with enchantments tailored to the customer’s desires and purposes.
Though they say women come to buy both types of beads, the demand for the special beads, they say, is higher.
Myths and enchantments
Hajiya Aisha, a 45-year-old mother from Maiduguri, has been in the business of beads, perfumes and enchantments for about 17 years. She speaks of lacing beads with different herbs as enchantments to suit her customer’s specifications and boasts that the results have made her customers come back, all these years.
Business according to her is flourishing, as she has both married and single women as her customers. She said the price is never a problem to them, once they can get the desired results.
Muhammed Umar on the other hand said that women are only deceived to think that the beads they buy are enchanted. “But the truth of the matter is, they are all lies. We lie to them about fortifying the beads,” he said. When probed as to why they go to the length in deception, Umar said that most of the women that come to buy waist beads ask for the “fortified beads”, and will not patronise if he doesn’t sell it.
Price range of waist beads
Our reporter arrived Muhammed Umar’s shop in Utako market, Abuja, around noon while he was making waist beads. He has been in the business for a decade now and speaks of the fluctuating demands for waist beads.
Mohammed said sometimes he sells a lot in one day, but also laments days when he hardly finds a customer.
Speaking of the price of waist beads, he said it ranges from N300 to N10,000. For the regular beads, he says women buy them for as low as N300, N500 and N1,000 depending on the type of beads and design.
But he adds that the “demand for fortified waist beads is high now because almost all the girls come to ask for it and the sellers deceive them just to collect their money. Waist beads of N500 would be sold to them for N5,000, N7,000 or even N10,000 in the name of charm.”
Meanwhile, Hajiya, who has been in the business for over 17 years, noted that it is the current inflation in the country that has resulted in the increase in prices of all commodities and services also affected the price of waist beads. She recalled that the waist beads she sold for as low as N500 to N1000 some years back now go for between N2,000 and N5,000, while, the “specially made beads” range from N10,000 to N20,000.
Cultural and historical significance
Wearing waist beads among women is a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of humanity, according to Professor Mohammed Bashir Yusuf, Head of Department, Nigerian Languages, at the Nasarawa State University.
Speaking with Weekend Trust, he explained that women initially used cowries to create waist beads, adding that these adornments weren’t limited to the waist alone. “They also created leg and neck chains from cowries to enhance their appeal to their husbands,” he added.
Prof. Yusuf also noted that in the past, waist beads were not for every woman. They were reserved for women from the royal family and a separate set for their slaves. He added that women then were only allowed to wear them upon reaching marriageable age or after getting married.
This practice he said is rooted in the culture and traditions of various African societies, especially that of the Hausa women, who adopted and upheld this custom as a way to present themselves attractive to their men.
As time progressed, the traditional beads known to ancient women faded, giving way to new and stylish bead designs. “Modern trends have since overshadowed the original cultural ideologies, transforming waist beads from ancient symbols of attraction into fashionable accessories for today’s women,” he said.