Seminar – Value and Uses of Ancient Beads in the Lower Omo Valley

Trade beads found throughout Africa are exported to the West to supply the market for beads collectors. These beads are however still highly valued by many among those groups who have used them over the last century. For this communication, Lucie Buffavand will present ethnographic material recently collected for an ongoing research on the circulation of ancient beads in Southern Ethiopia. By tracing the presence of carnelian stone beads in several groups of the Lower Omo Valley and beyond, she will show how these precious beads have been used in diverse ways across groups to mark the status of individuals, and have connected representatives of different polities by being transfered from one to another.

Back from a month of field in the Lower Omo Valley, Lucie Buffavand proposes to share her research questions and reflections on the use and circulation of ancient beads throughout Ethiopia.