These stunning Maasai Hand Beaded Leather Bands are individually handmade and each design is completely unique.
The bracelets come in a choice of colours/designs and are made from high quality Maasai colourful seed glass beads sewn onto a backing of hide, with sturdy press studs to fasten it around your wrist.
The beaded bracelet bands are traditionally worn by Maasai women and men during weddings and special tribal occasions. As in most ethnic groups around the world, the Maasai people are characterized and identified by their dress and ornamentation. Their jewellery has bright colours and intricate patterns.
Maasai women set aside time every day to meet and work on beaded jewellery which includes colourful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts and pendants. It is considered the duty of every Maasai woman to learn the jewellery making craft. All the tribal bead work is made by the women but is worn by both women and men. The bead work they create is not only beautiful but also has important cultural significance. The bead work has an individual wears will signify their age and social status. Generally individuals of high social standing will wear more colourful and intricate bead work.
Beads serve as an important source of income for the Maasai and by purchasing one of these bands you are helping to empower the women to contribute to their families and communities.
2 sizes available - various designs
Extra Small - approx 20cm
Small - approx 21cm
** All of the bands are completely unique, if you are happy for us to do so we will just select one at random for you depending on the size you select - should you wish a certain colour or style from the options pictured please contact us prior to purchase to check availability
** As these bracelet bands are handmade they do vary in size slightly - to ensure your band fits please measure around your wrist before purchasing as returns are not available on this product
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Maasai Treasures (MT) is a community level women organisation located in Morijo-Loita, Narok South, Kenya.
They are devoted to unite the local Maasai women for a common purpose of enhancing sustainable income to support their families by making authentic products to sell at markets, both locally and globally.
This initiative is built from the trust that women have the skills, energies and aspirations to work through and with others to improve families' income, status in the communities and effectively participate in the socio-economic development activities in their society if they are offered opportunities to sell their beads products.
MT also believes that the ancient art and crafting has the possibilities to be improved to measure to the expectations of the modern and foreign markets and creation of income for family sustainable income.
This is the only technology that Maasai women own, control the income from it and one that men in most instances have no interest to interfere.
With an organisation of 20 women, members have had their mind-set to embrace business opportunities while using their traditional techniques.
From the establishment in 2017, the CBO has been doing bead working for local markets, and therefore a lot of accuracies, quality and effectiveness is attained.
Most of the MT members are ordinary women, widows, and those from poor families. Any support, being connecting to markets, will go directly to support the women and their families. At the moment, other women from the villages are asking for membership to MT- and therefore have the potentiality to support many women from the remote and marginalised areas.
As it stands, the initiative will reach over 200 women in Loita hills by the end of 2021.
