History
There is a lot of history behind African waist beads. The existence of waist beads dates back to antiquity, some agree as far back as the 15th century. Most scholars teach that the history of waist beads began in ancient Egypt (North Africa), where they were worn by women as a symbol of their status or station in life.

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In West Africa, historians believe waist beads were made popular in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal by the Yoruba tribes, wherein they represented not only femininity and sensuality, but also nobility and affluence, spirituality and well-being. Today, waist beads have also been adopted by other African countries.

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African waist beads also bore different names in different tribes. Some names that African waist beads have been identified by are as follows: Jigida, Bebedi, Mgbájí, Giri-Giri, Yomba, Jel-Jelli, Bin Bin, Ileke Idi and Djalay Djalay.

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Use
There are many reasons why African waist beads were and are worn. In history, waist beads were most commonly worn to help women in shaping and maintaining their figures. However, in traditional Ghanaian culture they had a more practical purpose, in that waist beads were strung around the bikini line in order to serve as an anchor to strap and secure a woman’s menstrual cloth. Waist beads were also given to females during different phases in life, in order to denote growth and development. For example, in some African cultures, mothers adorned their newborn babies with waist beads as a means of measuring their growth and/or weight gain. They have also been used to signify a rite of passage of a girl becoming a woman, once she has begun her courses (menstruation).

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In today’s world, waist beads have come to take on a number of uses and are created in a number of ways, using various materials. Some wearers utilize waist beads as an intentional adornment and view their strands as a commitment or promise to self, and therefore, they prefer a waist beads strand that ties-on, meaning it is permanent; the only way to remove it is to physically cut it off or it is worn until it breaks on its own. Whereas others prefer strands made with a clasp and/or elastic, so that it may be removed or changed at one’s leisure.

Other uses for waist beads include, but are not limited to:

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• As a symbol of purity and chastity
• As a symbol of femininity and sensuality
• As a physical adornment for beautification purposes or vanity; body jewelry
• As a symbol in promoting self-esteem, self-love and body positivity/confidence
• As a sign that a woman had reached the age of marrying and could now have suitors
• As a bridal gift; in some African cultures, a woman’s fiancé purchased her waist beads as a gift that were only to be removed by her husband on their wedding night.
• Strung with bells, to show that a woman was still pure as at the time of marriage or to let the husband know, by the ringing of her bells on her strand, when a woman’s courses have past and she is now again available for conjugal relations
• Worn on babies during naming ceremonies, some say to accentuate their waistlines and hips as they grow.
• As a tool for weight management; when gaining weight, the strand of beads will rise up on the mid-drift and when one loses weight, the strand will fall back toward the hips.
• As intentional adornments to promote mindfulness and the manifestation of one’s goals and intentions
• For healing and/or balancing energy; upon the addition of crystals and gemstones and/or the use of certain colors (i.e. chromotherapy), waist beads take on healing or rejuvenating qualities, depending on one’s ailment or one’s energy that may be in need of balancing (i.e. healing/alignment of the 7 Chakras).
• Etc.

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Meaning and Significance (color and design)
Colors play important roles in our lives, even if we don’t recognize it. The significance of the colors used in the creation of waist beads is very important and powerful in many African communities, although color meanings may vary from country-to-country, culture-to-culture or even tribe-to-tribe. Western culture has also given new meaning to many colors. All in all, choosing the right color of beads and/or crystals & gemstones in the creation of a waist beads strand can be just as important to the designer/wearer as it is to the actual creation or design of the strand.

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Below are the meanings of some commonly used waist beads colors:

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• BLACK: power, protection, honor, value
• BROWN: earth, grounding, balance, stability
• RED: confidence, vitality, passion, strength
• ORANGE: courage, self-confidence, vitality, sensuality
• YELLOW: energy, joy, happiness, optimism
• GREEN: luck, abundance, fertility, nature, prosperity
• BLUE: loyalty, truth, peace, order
• PURPLE: royalty, wisdom, spirituality
• PINK: love, kindness, care, beauty, femininity
• SILVER: dignity, serenity, purity, cleansing
• GOLD: good health, power, wealth, manifestation

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Below are metaphysical properties of some commonly used crystals & gemstones:

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• AMETHYST: intuition, balance
• AVENTURINE: prosperity, luck, balance
• BLACK TOURMALINE: protection, grounding
• CARNELIAN: passion, sexual energy, creativity
• CITRINE: abundance, prosperity
• CLEAR QUARTZ: manifestation, intention
• FLOURITE: imagination, balance
• GARNET: energy, health, self-esteem
• HOWLITE: calming, compromise, sleep
• LAPIS LAZULI: wisdom, clarity
• MOONSTONE: dreams, energy, passion
• MOTHER OF PEARL (Abalone shell): intuition, clarity, imagination 
• OBSIDIAN: protection, positivity
• ONYX: cleansing, strength
• RED JASPER: strength, honesty, stability
• ROSE QUARTZ: love, healing, companion
• SODALITE: communication, self-expression, truth
• SUNSTONE: happiness, light, power
• TIGER EYE: problem solving, good fortune
• TURQUOISE: purification, truth
• Etc.

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As one can see, there is much history behind the use, meaning and significance of African waist beads. In my belief, one’s reason or purpose for wearing waist beads is of a very personal nature. Furthermore, ALL REASONS ARE VALID; meaning no one’s purpose is more meaningful or significant than another’s. A waist bead designer may create a strand with one purpose in mind, yet when she passes that strand on to its wearer they may don it with very different intentions. The creator/seller does not need to bless your waist beads in order for them to have meaning to YOU. YOU give your waist beads their meaning; YOU set their intention! The journey in adorning one’s self with waist beads is different from one individual to another, which in my mind only enhances their beauty even more!