Ashante Brass Beads. Image credit: ZSM. Wikimedia.org

I’ve always been fascinated by the variation in styles of brass beads from West Africa. Given that nearly all are made using the same lost wax method of casting, it’s pretty interesting to learn how certain tribes have adopted the technique, and refined it, to create their own unique adornments.

Yoruba Brass Beads

Yoruba Brass Beads are rarely, if ever, made from pure brass. They are, in fact, made from a variety of base metals, then gilded with a thin coating of molten brass once cool. Yoruba beads are also far simpler in design compared to the elaborate cage beads produced by the Asante, often just a long, coiled tube with raised dots or

Wodaabe Tube Beads

Wodaabe Brass Beads are a rare find, but can be distinguished from most others by their elongated shape and large perforation hole. They are unique to other brass beads in that are produced as a hair adornment, and are often engraved to resemble a braided section of hair.

Igbo Bugs

Igbo Bugs are one of the oldest formats of African brass bead to have originally been used as currency for trade. They are an early type of spacer, so named because of their likeness to evil bed bugs which plague Nigerian villages during the summer. They are easily distinguished by their primitive appearance, and the bulbous brass ball fused onto the base.

Baule Brass Beads

Baule Brass Beads collectively define wound brass tube beads produced by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. They are easily identifiable by the huge Adinkra sun and moon symbols incorporated into their design. “Abode Santen” (the sun) is said to symbolize peace, reverence and the continuity of life, whereas “Osram” (the moon) connotes faith, determination and patience.

Filigree Beads

A personal favorite, Brass Filigree Beads are without doubt the most ornate and elaborate of West African styles. They are generally hollow, with a woven, or cage-like outer structure. Ghana Brass Filigree Beads often feature designs of symbolic importance to the Krobo, such as the evil eye and six-point star.

I’m always on the lookout for other types of Brass Beads from West Africa to add to my hoard, so if you know of any more, please do share.