Question:
, I recently got a copy of Speaking With Beads: Zulu Arts From
Southern Africa (by Jean Morris and Elinor Preston-Whyte, 1994, Thames and
Hudson, Inc., LC #94-60280, ISBN 0-500-27757-5). There are some photos of
fantastic work with beads in the hair of a diviner on the back cover and page
41. It seems to consist of A LOT of triangles or tetrahedrons made of ~4 mm
opaque beads suspended in the hair somehow. It might be some kind of
headdress instead; I can't tell. Anyway, the book looks at beading from an
anthropological perspective and does not have instructions for any of the
work! I would like to duplicate it (probably on a smaller scale) for
Halloween. Does anybody out there have any idea on how to do this? If so,
please post your theories on the bulletin board; please DO NOT e-mail me. I
want to keep it secret from my husband, who checks our e-mail about 10x a day
(I kid you not). Thanks for reading this. By the way, I got this book at
Borders here in Greensboro for $19.95, in the Art section, not crafts. Some
of the pictures will just make you drool with envy. Really gorgeous beadwork.
Definitely worth a look-see if you like ethnic beading.
Answer:
You might want to contact some local braiding hair stylist and show them the
photo(s). I'm sure they could help you duplicate the look. Most black hair
salons could direct you to someone who does that kind of work. (if they
can't)
