Woman's Necklace

MaasaiWW-UNK-016380

·Animal hide, beads, shells, and metal·43.9 × 13.4 × 2 cm (17 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 3/4 in.)

<p>Today the Maasai are best known for their brightly colored and highly decorative beadwork, but these rare necklaces provide a glimpse into a jewelry design that was favored a century ago. The two round shells symbolize breasts and represent the fertility of a woman in her childbearing years, who would have worn<br>the necklace as a mark of pride and honor. Some older women still wear the version with one circle (see 2023.2922) —also as a badge of respect and maturity, but as a grandmother or great-grandmother to be admired for her familial contributions and guidance. Only female artists created this style of jewelry.</p>

Catalogue

Medium: Animal hide, beads, shells, and metal
Dimensions: 43.9 × 13.4 × 2 cm (17 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 3/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Maasai

Artist

Maasai

The Maasai are an Eastern Nilotic ethnic group native to northern, central and southern regions of Kenya including northern Tanzania, near the African Great Lakes region. Their native language is the Maasai language, a Nilotic language related to Dinka, Kalenjin and Nuer. A branch within the broader Nilo-Saharan language family. Except for some elders living in rural areas, most Maasai people speak the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania—Swahili and English.

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