About Jú/Ján
The San have been making jewelry from ostrich eggs for centuries. The thick shell of the egg is cut into small beads that are then threaded in a traditional way into a beautiful necklace, bracelet or earring. The light brown and black colors are created by placing part of the beads in the fire.
Jewelry making is a social affair for Ju/"Hoansi women. Making the beads takes a lot of time and there is a lot of time to gossip and exchange news during the grinding of the beads and the stringing of the chains.
Wearing these ancient traditional jewelry contributes to their Jú/Ján, to be a beautiful person.
UNIQUE
Making these traditional jewelry is very labor intensive. Grinding, drilling and threading is done by hand without power tools. Because these jewelry are a 100% natural product and are made entirely by hand, each piece is unique.
BACKGROUND
The history of the San goes back tens of thousands of years, it is without a doubt the oldest people in the world. The modern history of the San people has many low points. For example, she was successively expelled, neglected and murdered by Dutch colonialism, the Zulu drive for expansion, German rule and African apartheid.
Today the Ju/‘Hoansi tribe lives in the Nyae Nyae reserve where they can continue their traditional way of life as nomadic hunters and gatherers.
Also in these inhospitable regions of Africa, western civilization is increasingly forced upon this ancient people. Knowledge of the world around them is essential to be able to resist external influences.
YOU SUPPORT THE JU / 'HOANSI WITH YOUR PURCHASE
The Ju/‘Hoansi have few sources of income. N!/ Hunkxa makes these exclusive jewelry and by buying them you earn her an income. With this she can support her family and send her children to school. If she sells more jewelry, she needs the help of family and friends in the production process. In this way more and more people in the community are given the opportunity to send their children to school as well. And education is the key to the survival of this special community.
Jú/Ján supports the Village Schools project. This project improves education in the Nyae Nyae reserve. By building five schools where lessons are taught in the mother tongue, the threshold for taking lessons has been drastically lowered. Moreover, in the lessons a combination is made between traditional and modern culture. Knowledge of traditional culture combined with lessons about modern culture helps children to be successful in modern society.
Read more about it at villageschoolsnamibia.com
This purchase makes you a beautiful person in several ways!
