Some consider it as old fashioned therefore no longer trendy in modern times but a good number of people especially young maidens still paractice it. Wearing beads on the waist is different things to many ladies. Ruth Choji writes that in recent times, its essence has refused to be lost on many women.
Though nobody can state when and how women started wearing beads or Jigida, on their waists, as it is called in the northern part of Nigeria, however, what is popularly known and believed is that it enhances the woman’s waist. Presently, the craze cuts across tribes and ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Some use it as necklaces, hand bangle or waist beads. Beads are most times, made from round pieces of glasses, rubber, wood, metal or nut pierced for stringing.
Priscila Adogu, who wears beads around her waist, says, “I started wearing beads from my secondary school days. I heard a friend who wore it and whenever she walks, I used to admire her. From there, I picked the habit. Though these days, I hardly wear it but I still love the way it made me feel. Some men also like to see their women wear jigida. Though some wear it as protection, some of us wear it just for the fun of it.”
Mama Ladi, an aged grandmother who wears jigida also stated that, “In our days, any girl that does not wear jigida is regarded as not beautiful. We used to compete to see who will wear it best. If you want to be nasty to your friend or if you quarrel then, the worst thing you can do is to cut somebody’s jigida. I am surprised these days, young girls don’t bother about it. It is good for the woman who wants to maintain her shape after child birth and for ladies who want to broaden their hips. The waist beads can evoke deep sexual emotion. In our time, suitors who want to marry a young girl will bring beautiful gifts of beads for her. They will include the earrings, necklaces and waist beads. We also use beads then to know our weight especially after we have given birth. It helps us control our weight. Some waist beads are also used to cure sickness. Waist beads are used to maintain the figure or shape it. It is a traditional female beauty enhancer; they are worn to accentuate feminism and beauty; it seeks to draw the attention of the opposite sex to the woman’s hips, bum, thighs and movement. In our time, the waist beads prove your purity and maturity.
Adeyinka Adepuju, a bead seller said the Yoruba women adore waist beads because it enhances their beauty and also bring out their sexual appeal. “We also used it for birth control; the lagidigba, as we call it in Yoruba language, is bought form local or traditional healers who will mix it with some concoctions and once a woman wears it, she can control her man except if she wants to be pregnant. It can help her in the place of family planning. We believe that the waist beads can make the woman’s hips to shake and when it does, it entices the man. The waist bead is also used by Ifa priest and other traditional worshippers in Yoruba land. The traditionalist also use the beads as a protection against ‘spirits’
Binta Ma’aji, a local food vendor in Garki stated, “The bead is worn by women in the north as part of beauty adornment. Jigida is used to enhance. Any lady that wears jigida in the north is because she wants to draw attention to her hips. I love it because it makes you feel special and it can drive some men crazy. Though the style is fading away but some women still wear it especially in the core north. It is basically used to arouse the men.”
Henrietta Imoukhuede, a bead seller at Wuse Market in Abuja, on her part said, “Waist beads are not particular to just some people. I believe every tribe uses it in one way or the other. I know of a place in the South/south that uses it to cover their private parts. Some women wear it to show that they are powerful because they lace it with charms. I personally don’t believe it is every woman that wears ordinary beads.
However, Pastor Elias Johnson stated that, “The Bible says that anything that will make your brother fall, avoid it. According to him, the Scripture says, ‘Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear, but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious’”. He said another part of the Holy Scripture also says, “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works”. This is to tell you that women, according to the Scripture, are urged to dress decently. You can wear the beads but it depends on the way you are wearing it and the motives behind it. “Since we know that it is used to entice and lured men to sin, we must avoid it. Young girls should lean to dress with decency. You don’t have to expose your body in the name of fashion.”
Imam Abdulaziz yahaya stated that, “Islam does not have a clear-cut prescription on the issue of waist beads except for eastern women that use it as part of their adornment. But we use the talisman that are most times made from elaborately engraved gems foristikharah meaning, ‘asking favour of someone’. It is said that Muhammad taught that anyone desiring to know in any particular matter whether it is good or bad before God, or whether what he is about to undertake is good for his faith and life or injurious to it, should perform two raka’at and recite a prayer for guidance, asking Allah to make the way easy if it is according to his will or to put it away from the supplicant if it is not. This is meant to seek such guidance by simply counting through the beads of a rosary or by randomly opening the Qur’an and blindly placing a finger on any given text or passage. To use the rosary in this way, the following things must be observed: The rosary must be grasped within the palms of both hands which are then rubbed together, then the Fatiha is solemnly repeated, after which the user breathes upon the rosary with his breath in order to put the magic-power of the chapter into the beads. Then he seizes a particular bead and counts toward the ‘pointer bead using the words, God, Mohammed, Abu Jahal. When the count terminates with the name of God, it means that his request is favorably received, if it terminates with Abu Jahal it is bad and if with Mohammed the reply is doubtful. But when women wear it on their waist, it is for their personal reason and has nothing to do with Islam. Islam encourages holiness and so, I don’t see any reason why women will use beads to tempt men.”
Beatrice Audu, a beautician and boutique owner said, “Beads highlight a woman’s status as a maiden, mother, widow or elder. Our mothers wore waist beads to protect them during menstruation, courtship and childbirth. It is worn below the belly so that it will sit on the hips. You can wear them over your clothes to adorn a long skirt or dress or against your skin while wearing a cropped top or low -rise jeans. The waist beads remind you that the curve of your hips and belly are what make you a woman. Waist beads can be worn all the time, day and night, as long as you have no allergies. Make sure the findings made from base metal or pewter and the stones and gem chips cause no skin reactions.”
In some parts of Africa, beads are anointed with oils and the woman stands over a smoked pot and begins to ‘smoke herself’. Some beads are adorned with bells which is a signal to let the man know that the woman wants to engage in sexual intercourse. Some women wear the beads as a source of birth control, controlling obesity or to heal some diseases.
