Beading by the sea
I remember beading from my early childhood on a small Pacific island. Beading really was a daily part of our lives. It was my mother’s livelihood as well as part of the décor of our small home. Our house was made of bamboo with wooden beads for curtains. It was very hot so bead curtains were useful as a partition they allowed air to freely move through the hut without any hindrance and were also an attractive decoration.
My mother’s beading was usually started in the morning in the shade of the coconut tree with woven coconut mats underneath us. Shells of every kind had been prepared the day before and were ready for beading. Nassa shell, one of my mother's favorite was the easiest to bead; it is white and shaped like a conch but very tiny. As we sat and beaded the nassa shells the older women, my aunts would sing local songs that have been passed down from generation to generation. As our fingers deftly strung the shell beads time also was forgotten and we were reminded that it was lunch time when my aunts would bring out the steamed sweet potatoes, manioc, cassava and dry fish stew. After our lunch we would take a nap. Beading was followed after our rest and would continue for the rest of the day.
I really miss those carefree days; I guess this is why I have such a strong attachment to beads and everything about them. They were the tie that bound me to my family.