‘Butiti’ (waist beads) are losing purpose
The waists beads locally referred to as ‘butiti’ are be accessories that are worn by the women. It’s more like possessing a phone. Traditionally, waist beads are scared. They have to be accorded specific respect in terms of occasions of usage, marital status, how and where to buy them.
Today showing waist beds in public has become be stylish and yet it’s a source of bad omen. The waist beads are only supposed to be shown to a woman’s respective married husband when in Bedroom and not outside. Today we have waist beads worn by some women as necklaces.
Waist Beads are believed to have come to in East Africa as a trade item between Arabs and Africans. Though history tells us the beads were introduced by Gipiri and Labongo natives
Waist beads are worn to help boost sexual satisfaction. The woman uses them to attract, entice and prepare a man for sex. However, Namaganda Mildred, a mother of two thinks it’s not only for sexual satisfaction purposes. She makes her children wear waist beads at age of three to create a desirable waist line.
Mzee Nkalubo, an elderly man of 95 years says that waist beads with charms are used by mothers to help their daughters get men. Some believe that a female with them cannot fail to get a man. This is the same case with women who smoke “Mindi’ (wind pipes).Mzee Nkalubo also warns use of charms in waist beads as they can have disastrous consequences .The original purpose of wearing waist beads is fading because of fashion and ignorance. Some just wear them ignorantly to make fashion statements. Some Women expose them like g-strings and other lingerie used to seduce men. A lady was picking her pen in a public place when all the waist beads fell .What was more embarrassing was that all the beads and strings fell to the ground. Public display of waist beads is wrong according to ‘sengas’ literally means female traditional culture counselor .Public display should be left to prostitutes and non -marriage material females. Senga Nakiwala advises men not to bother dating women who show their waist beads outside the bedroom premises like taxis, church and so forth.
Innocent children are made to wear these beads under the guise of culture and shaping waistlines yet in actual sense they carry charms. Waist beads to the unmarried are a source of curses and misfortunes. Waist beads should be left for married to use inside their bedrooms not items to floss with in publics.
Buying waist beads needs strict precautions measures to be taken especially concerning quantities and where to buy them. Street Vendors may not be knowledge like the traditional sengas or cultural centres in preparing waist beads.Senga Nakiwala further cautions men not to touch any waist beads that don’t belong to their wives and they should ask women who are not their wives to remove their waist beads before they touch them.
Ivan.N.Baliboola
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