 The jewelry of the Maasai tribe is always made by women (relatives and fellow tribe members), as this is one of their many jobs. Leather, beads, and sisal plants are used as the main materials in these intricate designs. |
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 The men of the Maasai tribe are responsible for raising
the cattle from which the leather for the jewelry will be made. The cattle are also used as currency for the purchase of the beads. |
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Beads were not commonly used in jewelry until the 1900's. Although beads were introduced to the Maasai tribe in the 1800's by the Arabs and East Indians, they did not become popular until the 1900's. Prior to using beads, the Maasai mostly used copper and brass wire, in addition to plant seeds, to make their jewelry. Glass and plastic beads are now commonplace. |
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  Here you can see the intricacy of the Maasai's beadwork. The detail and colors used in the beads must follow the strict rules of the tribe. The beads are classified as either primary or secondary colors, with white, red, green, blue and orange classified as primary colors and yellow and black considered secondary colors. Women are allowed to exchange orange beads for yellow ones if they run out of orange, and are allowed to substitute black for blue, when needed. However, placing a primary color next to a secondary color is seen as unacceptable and a woman should be very embarassed if her jewelry reflects this mistake. |