Traditional and Ethnic Beadwork

Hi and Welcome to the Traditional and Ethnic Beading Hub.

This hub will give information on the different types of ethnic beadwork that exist such as African beadwork (and all its variations such as Zulu beadwork), native American and Indian beadwork; as well as the history of beading.

If you want to buy any African beadwork products then please visit our website at Thorntree Crafts and Curios. We will also be advertising other products on this page related to the different types of ethnic and traditional beadwork.

We trust you enjoy this hub and find it useful and informative.

Beading has been around for many thousands of years and the start of beadwork was probably in prehistoric times. It has been used in all cultures and for a variety of different purposes.

According to Nicole Gadd at Glass Candy "Beads are anthropoligically very significant, since they are the world's oldest and most universal art form."

Although beads were originally made from items such as shell, bone and teeth many other substances have been used in the creation of beads including precious metals and gems.

Today beading has become a very popular hobby and a wide range of beads is available in countries all over the world.

Beadwork has long been a part of the Zulu tradition and beads have been used to create decorative, utility as well as communication items. The Zulus probably first started beading while trading with other African tribes further up Africa such as the Egyptians and long before Europeans invaded Africa.

What makes Zulu beadwork so interesting in many cases is the way in which it was used to communicate. It was traditionally only practised by females and they would send messages encoded in specific colors and geometric patterns to men.

Today African beadwork is practised by both men and women and is largely used for decorative or utility purposes rather than communication. It is also often combined with metalwork to create African curios.

To learn more about the history of Zulu beadwork you can view our article on Ezinearticles about the History and Symbolism of African Beadwork.

If you would like to buy African curios or beadwork please visit our website at Thorntree Crafts and Curios. You will see some of our products displayed below.

Native American beadwork is a very diverse type of beadwork with many different styles, designs and techniques depending on the tribe from which it originates.

However glass beads were not originally used in traditional native American beadwork as glass was only introduced to the native Americans with the invasion of the Europeans. Since then, however, glass and seed beads have been widely used in native American beading.

To learn more about native American beadwork we recommend the article on Native Languages.