Though many know that beads were one of the products traded in exchange for humans between Europeans and West Africans in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade era, not many know that the Yoruba had their own bead manufacturing industry at the time.
Evidence of bead manufacture among the Yoruba dates as far as the 11th Century AD. Scientific evidence exists indicating that blue- green glass beads made in Ile-Ife were being traded outside the Yoruba area long before the era of European contact.
The Yoruba of the Middle Ages had 3 methods of bead manufacturing
- They used powdered-glass to make beads from finely ground blue, green, and red glass
- They polished beads into shape from broken glass
- They drew beads from heated dark greenish and medium blue glass. This method was considered the most sophisticated and the beads created differ from the European traded ones found at most sites in West Africa because of their unusual length, method of production and other attributes.
Evidence exists that the glass used in bead production by the Yoruba was indigenous to the region . The composition of the cobalt blue and blue green segi glass used are not found anywhere else in the world. This means that the glass and the beads made from them were manufactured in Ile Ife as part of the unique Yoruba glass making industry. Reference : Lankton, Ige, and Rehren (2006)
The Yoruba generally refer to all red beads as iyùn, and all blue beads as sègì.
As well as the visual and decorative power, the Yoruba people attributed spiritual power and religious meaning to beads. With this intense faith in beads, Yoruba have made waist beads for fertility, beauty, seduction, necklaces bracelets and many other objects central to daily and religious life using seeds, husks, mollusc shells, cowrie shells, indigenous brass beads as well as indigenous and imported glass beads . Beads denoted faith, and social and religious rank. In the main, glass beads were for the use of kings and the royal priesthood, and adorned spiritual objects.
In this photo below, the newly crowned Oonirisa carries a traditional staff of office “Opa Ase”. The Opa Ase is covered in thousands of intricately patterned colourful glass beads. Clearly, beads are an integral part of Yoruba royal heirlooms now as they were centuries ago when they, and human beings were being traded in Africa.
Nice post chic….saw the link in the email from Yoruba names.
Thanks chic! Yoruba Names blog? That’s great! You good? Thanks for stopping by… Missing you on you-know-where? Lol…
If the Yoruba manufactured the beads what exactly did the Europeans give them in exchange for humans? More beads. Or did they exchange the beads for white slaves.
Yoruba civil war was ongoing at the time. It lasted about 100 years. Guns were a key commodity exchanged for prisoners of war
My daughter’s name is Segilola. That sums it all up!
Segilola is a very beautiful name. All Segilola’s are spoiled silly ?…. Lol!
No not all. I only know two both very strong, independent women. Myself and another Segilola.
Well done, nice research work. May I copy it to reproduce on my blog?
Please feel free, with credit to this blog of course, thank you for stopping by ! 🙂
But for disruption in evolution process journey in development the Yoruba would have advanced, in technology, economy would have been wonderfully developed. Too bad, European colonial economic adventure truncated Yoruba socioeconomic progression. What now about conspiracy of principalities and powers political, economic and spiritual ? Who would deliver the Yoruba from the powers of darkness continually in search of evil forces to collaborate with to keep the race down in abject poverty in spite of inexhaustible human and material endowments ? Among others, it would take a reawakening, a new quality of reasoning in an age where ‘ civilization’ is determined by social perverts hunted by Islamic terrorists everywhere you face!
E ku ai gbagbe. Please get us more relics. Thanks
Very nice and informative. Will re-blog a couple of these posts.
Ha, I love this post on beads! It brings back childhood memory of my older sister. She had lots of waist beads, spent lots of time colour coordinating – that drove my mother to the wall. But my sister just wanted to have some fun, she loved the noises they make when she walks… she is the bravest of us all.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your comment. I’ve worn them in the past. They’re also a good way to keep an eye on ones weight gain. Your sister sounds like a fun person to know!
Thank you for this information.
I love this article
thank you for this article
Great read about the beads and also a confirmation of the true meaning and value of the beads. Proudly Segilola eleuinju ege.
Thanks. Segilola is such a beautiful name
Ileke, Iyun, Segi, Ide ,Baba, Oje were among major ornamentanations of the Yorubas way before common era. I grew up with these and names like Segilola, Aniyun, Onibonoje, Agbokunyinbonide, Ogbosatafababa, and several other words and names that justify and corroborate this history are still common with some Yoruba families till now.
Very great names. I understand Segilola (beads are wealth/good fortune), Aniyun (we have beads) but I have never come across Onibonoje , Agbokunyinbonide,or Ogbosatafababa. What do they mean?
Brilliant stuff. Thank you for this wonderful piece of history.
I love my beads. Thanks for making me love them the more!!!