1. This is what a whole ostrich egg looks like. The little hole on top was once open for using the eggshell as a container for storing water or as a cup.
2. As you can see here, a whole ostrich egg is broken down into small pieces, which are going to be turned into beads.
3. After the ostrich eggshell has been broken into smaller pieces, holes are bored into them to become beads, using a stick called /xah/xahni. At the end of the stick is a sharp wire. As you can see in this photo, a Ju/’hoan lady is busy boring holes.
4. After holes have been bored into the small pieces of shell, another tool which is sharper is used to open up the holes in order to make beads.
5. In this process the beads are strung onto a very long thread – the length of this depends on the number of beads. Then that string of beads is put on a hard surface and a special rough stone is used to make the edges of the beads smooth, so that they are level and the same size. There is gender equality in this process – anyone can do it.
6. This is the stone that is used for making the edges of the beads smooth. You can either buy it in a tool shop or get it from the bush.
7. After the edges of the beads are smooth, a thread made of animal sinew is used to create different designs – necklaces, bracelets, you name it. In this picture there are a few examples.
8. In this picture, you can see girls from my neighbourhood showcasing the crafts.
My name is Nǂaisa Ghauz from Namibia. I live in a small village called Tsumkwe in the North-Eastern parts of Namibia, Iam a San lady, iam from a San group called Ju,/’hoansi. I work as a Administrative officer and as an Assistant Librarian at the Tsumkwe Community Library. I am 26 years of age, I have five siblings of which I am the first born and being the first born have taught me one thing which is to be responsible and to be a role model to my siblings and not only to my siblings, but to the society within my community at large because I am one those few people that has completed school in my community. In the future iam welling to be more productive educational and economic wise in order to motivate my fellow San people especially the youth because we can not be marginalized forever. I am one of the satellite pioneers representing Tsumkwe once again thank you ǃkwattu for that opportunity.
