Fulani Jewelry wholesale & retail

I started selling Fulani jewelry in the early 1990s. I bought my first stock from Ghanaian and Malian glass bead traders I would meet at the Ghana Trade Fair center. I was fascinated by the intricate work and the bright shine of the brass. I had sold brass and silver jewelry from India and Thailand since the late 80s but had never come across any other people who worked brass that thin or that shiny. My customers were equally as fascinated. It would be more than 10 years I would go to Mali and meet Malian Fulani brass jewelry makers for myself.

The origins of the distinctive earring designs is shrouded in a bit of mystery and many stories. The one that rings true to me is that 1000s of years ago the Fulani peoples left the areas of modern day Senegal and became nomadic. They followed their cattle and traded from the Western coast of Africa all the way up towrds he North, some even going as far up as Egypt. Along the way they would trade with the other peoples they incountered.

For one group of Fulanis, probably emerging out of Nigeria they started trade in a medicial spice. Tetrapleura tetraptera called Prekese in the Twi language of Ghana and Uhio (Uhiokrihio) in the Igbo Language of Nigeria. When dried, broken into pieces and burnt like incense, it is believed to ward off bad and evil spirits. Prɛkɛsɛ is also mixed with clay in it powdery state and applied to the chest of mothers who have just given birth which makes me suspect it has lactogenic properties. When added to “light pepper soup” for these same nursing mothers it accelerates blood flow helping them to eliminate blood clots. It’s also applied to joints as an anti-inflammatory agent.

The fruit is conventionally used as spice and as a natural multivitamins. It is rich in protein, lipids, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamin C. In Nigeria, it is cooked in soup and fed to mothers to prevent post-partum contraction. In Ghana, prekese has been used to flavor soft drinks. The drink has been approved by the Food and Drugs board, and is marketed to reduce hypertension, decrease the severity of asthma attacks,
Studies indicate that prekese extract reduces the risk of certain types of ulcer. It can also inhibit the growth of bacteria. Dried fruits have been powdered and combined in soap bases to include anti-microbial properties. Moreover, the fruit extract can reduce convulsions with its ability to slow down the central nervous system.

histories throughout western Africa for over a thousand years. They played a significant role in the rise and fall of the Mossi states in Burkina and also contributed to the migratory movements of people southward through Niger and Nigeria into Cameroon. They were also responsible for introducing and spreading Islam throughout much of western Africa. The height of the Fulani empire was between the early 1800s and early 1900s. This power was consolidated under Usman dan Fodio and was centered in northern Nigeria.In Mali, gold earrings called kwottenai are part of a Fulani woman’s ensemble that are impossible to miss. They are made of pounded gold and wrapped with vibrant red yarn and worn through both pierced earlobes. Often, as seen in those pictured here, they are engraved with design. Over time gold is added to the earrings increasing their size and value; the increase signifies the individual’s and family’s accumulated wealth. Each earring can weigh more than half of a pound and additional support, usually in the form of a clip or strap, is sometimes used to alleviate strain and