Studio Visit: Sidai Designs, Tanzania
Handmade jewelry that creates opportunities for Maasai women
Just north of Arusha, Tanzania‘s historic Clock Tower, the jewelry workshop of Sidai Designs is tucked behind gates of their headquarters. In the garden, Maasai women sit under the trees hand-pulling pieces of recycled grain sack to twist into thread. They meticulously stitch glass beads one by one onto soft leather bracelets and necklaces. Dressed in colorful traditional clothes, the women hum as they work, often taking moments to stretch, sing and jump together in a Maasai dance.
The mood is undeniably creative and positive at Sidai, where these women have the opportunity to work for fair wages. The freelance employees can also take projects back to their tribes, enabling them to share their work with their friends and families. They make periodic trips back to the Sidai workshop in Arusha to bring the pieces they have completed to be counted into the inventory.
The center of their design approach is to focus on preserving Maasai culture and traditional beadwork. They aim to enhance the understanding of this tribe’s beautiful craftsmanship by sharing their work with the world. They work with patterns, shapes and colors that are directly connected to ceremonial Maasai jewelry. Their core designs often feature white beads—which are typical to the aesthetic of Tanzanian Maasai.
To break down the thought process behind the designs and process Moore studies the pieces the Maasai women wear. “It’s key when working with indigenous communities to have an understanding of their craft, the construction of the pieces, and the meanings behind the designs,” Moore explains. New designs are made in collaboration with the full-time beaders who work at Sidai. Moore presents drawings and asks for their ideas and recommendations. “Often I know what I want to achieve, but the team is most certainly the brains behind it. If the piece is possible to create, they make their first sample and we work from there to perfect the design.”
“It’s important to first understand the context in which Maasai women exist,” says Moore. “They are part of pastoral communities where livelihoods rely on cattle and land, which are subject to climate conditions and land degradation. Maasai women typically have little control over areas that affect them such as resources, their education, and livelihoods, due to an embedded patriarchal system that does not value them as able decision-makers.”
This means boys are educated before girls (if girls are send to school at all) and various other gender inequalities are faced. “We have identified that empowering Maasai women through providing sustainable employment leads to a sense of ownership over life decisions as a result of simply having access to their own money,” adds Moore.
The intense focus required to make the jewelry is balanced by the camaraderie among the women. Esther is excited to share their research and experiments for learning how to silversmith and eventually make their own clasp and pieces. She tells us, “I make everything from necklaces, earrings to even leather. Working here helps me to allocate money to my other businesses,” says Esther. “I invest my salary, which allows me to make extra money through different avenues, such as farming. It all helps keeps my family going. My kids are in school. It helps buy food for my family too.” She has been able to plant five hectares on her farm, where she used be able to have only one.
Another full-time beader, Naramatishu, explains how she makes a significant household item. “I make all of the different styles of jewelry and also homewares, such as lampshade samples,” she says. “I’m the only one who can make lampshades in our full-time team.” Since she was young she remembers having really liked doing things with her hands like beading, and braiding hair. Her job at Sidai has helped her send her kids to school and buy books and uniforms. “It has widened my mind, meeting new people and making friends and knowing I can go to them for help,” she says. “I feel very good at work. Especially lately, as Sidai has helped me a lot during hard times in my personal life.”
“It’s something I like from my heart.”
Ngeeli creates the leather design prototypes, and tells us, “It’s something I like from my heart.” The income helps her run her home by providing more food for family meals and sending kids to school. “Sadly my son passed away and I support his wife and children also. I’m very happy working at Sidai. I feel really good as it helps me help my family.”
Sidai also partners with local NGOs to facilitate workshops on general health and wellness, child-rearing, cattle health, HIV and AIDS prevention and care, women’s health and legal issues around women’s rights. Preserving indigenous knowledge and customs continues to be an important goal. They are working toward spurring a revival of traditional Maasai beading techniques by stimulating demand for products. They hope to encourage younger generations to value and promote their heritage.
Sidai Designs jewelry can be found in shops around the world: the Green Room in Dar Es Salaam and the boutique at the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti stock their beautiful beadwork. Their designs are also sold at Tokyo’s Idee, Berlin’s Folkdays, Merci in Paris, and in their own webshop.
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