A 128+ inch / 10 feet + 325 cm+ very long strand of small, mainly round cobalt blue, off-white and gray very old excavated nila beads from Mali, West Africa.
Circa 1200 - 1600 AD. Bead sizes average 3-5mm diameter.
Lots to work with. A few other colors mixed in too, including green and yellow. The length of 6+ regular nila strands, this came to the collection in one nicely matched long strand.
Great for designers making a set or multiples of something / a family of designs.
These beads are found widely in the Djenne region in Mali as it is a trade crossroads with a history of centuries of trade with India, other parts of Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
More info: Nila beads are the small monochrome Islamic glass beads than can be found in colors ranging from blue, green, red, black, white to yellow that are widespread in West Africa. They are also referred to as Indo-Pacific or Trade Winds beads, in reference to the ocean streams and winds that, for centuries, were used by the Arab merchant ships bringing them from India to Africa. They often have oxidization patina from burial and age. Large quantities have been found along the river banks of the Niger river in Mali and buried in large quantities in clay pots, used as a form of currency. They are also found in the ground in parts of West Africa and Southeast Asia. The name "Nila" comes from the Sanskrit term for indigo.
African Item 1850w
