Maasai Beaded Belt

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$175.00

Quantity Available: 1

This is a rare and old Maasai belt. In the second photo you can see the yellow button. It is a flat button that you don't see in much beaded work after the 1950's, early '60's. The back is ochre. Sometimes the beads were stitched into the hide; other times they were pounded into the hide and sealed with this ochred paste-like substance. I have never seen a belt this old. There is a photograph in Carol Beckworth's book Maasai that shows a newly-circumcised boy wearing a similar, but new belt. I have also been told that young girls wear such a belt. This has been hanging on the wall of my studio for many years.It was purchased near Arusha. I am in the process of selling my African collection and my American Indian collection.