African Waist Beads-

Waist beads can be traced back to ancient Egyptian times, noted to have been worn as early as the 15th century for many purposes such as rites of passage and as a status symbol. African waist beads were then known as “girdle.” The tradition of these waist beads (known as either Bebedi or Ileke-Idi by Yorubas) were made popular by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria and are worn primarily to highlight feminism and beauty. Waist beads were worn as a symbols of womanhood, fertility, protection and spirituality. Till this day, African waist beads are worn beautifully by women of all shapes, sizes, and ages.