Behold this beautiful and intricate beadwork, a tradition of the Maasai tribe.

ABOUT THE Artisans

The members our five beadwork artisan groups all live in a small manyatta (homesteads) next to the Mombasa highway, about 10 km apart from each other. They are all small Maasai communities that have settled on governmental road reserve land. Life on the side of the highway is harsh; the climate is very dry and the communities are squeezed between an extremely busy and dangerous road full of lorries, and the Tsavo East National Park.

ABOUT THE MAASAI BEADWORK

The Maasai people of Kenya are well known for their traditional handmade beaded jewellery – it has been an important part of Maasai culture for many years. Almost daily Maasai women set aside time to work on beaded jewellery like colourful necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. It is considered the duty of every Maasai woman to learn the jewellery making craft. Traditionally the beadwork is made by women but is worn by both sexes, and has important cultural significance. The beadwork an individual wears reflects their age and social status.

All our beadwork is made with the best quality Czech beads. We sell a series of traditional beadwork and started custom orders in October 2018, partnering with the beautiful Love Is Project. Sometimes we the get the help of creative volunteers from the fashion industry to come up with fashionable competitive designs.

Hadithi Crafts is proudly certified through Nest’s Ethical Handcraft program since january 2025! This means that our beadwork products meet the highest standards for ethical production in home or small workshop settings, and are eligible to bear the consumer-facing Ethical Handcraft Seal in market.

Hadithi Crafts has adopted the Nest Standards of Ethical Handcraft for Homes and Small Workshops. Nest is a nonprofit bringing greater awareness and opportunity to global artisans and workers outside of factories, to ensure our unique products meet the highest standards for ethical production and sustainability. Through Nest’s Ethical Handcraft program, we have demonstrated our commitment to transparency and visibility into the deepest layers of our supply chain(s). We are committed to providing safe working conditions and fair economic opportunities for the artisans and handworkers that are part of our supply chain. All our beadwork products have been certified as being Ethically Handcrafted through Nest’s Ethical Handcraft program and are eligible to bear the Ethical Handcraft Seal in market.