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The Making of Modern Spindle Whorls in Mali
By David Nevill of African Trade Beads
Spindle Whorls have been used worldwide for thousands of years, originally as tools in the cotton spinning industry. In more recent years they have become much sought after as interesting beads for collectors and students of ancient African history.
Information on their original usage can be found Here
Modern replicas, in a variety of shapes, but usually with traditional decoration, are often seen in bead markets throughout Africa, with Mali being the country most often associated with modern production. In Djenné, the oldest city in Mali, where many Whorls used to be made, they are known as Kolo in the Bambara language, meaning as strong as ( cow ) bone. Early examples, many hundreds of years old, but with remarkably well preserved decoration, can still occasionally be found .. proving just how well named and resilient they are.
Despite many previous attempts, it was not until March 2007 that I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to meet one of the present day bead makers and be allowed to record his methods and skills. Despite the addition of one modern additive, I suspect that the basic methods of production have changed very little since the first Whorls were produced.
Whilst bead buying in the Goulanina Market in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, my long time friend Mr. Barry introduced me to a shy young lad by the name of Abli .. who, he told me, was a skilled clay bead maker and a principal supplier of Spindle Whorls to the local markets.
Abli, a member of the ancient Songhai Tribe spoke no French, but .. during a 3 way conversation with Mr. Barry acting as translator middleman .. readily consented to prepare a demonstration for me at his home in the village of Kati, some 13 kilometers outside Bamako. Mr. Barry explained that although Abli produced many examples of the traditional spherical and bicone Whorl shapes, he and his family were also experimenting with making alternative shapes on request from the market bead dealers. These were proving to be very popular, especially amongst tourist customers who frequent the market .. valued by them as attractive ornaments and souvenirs, combining traditional African skills with modernity.
Despite his youthful appearance, Abli .. who was actually 23 years old .. had gained considerable expertise in clay handling and knowledge of Whorl-making history, from an elderly master bead-maker in Mopti. In turn, he had passed on many of these skills to his two sisters, Adja and Isata, who helped him with the production. Arriving at his home the next day.. in front of an ever increasing audience of interested neighbors .. I was treated to a well planned display of the different processes involved, by this trio of expert young bead makers.
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From especially selected sites in the hills surrounding the village of Kati ...
... black clay soil is collected and broken into small pieces.
Using a traditional pestle and mortar and a sieve ...
... the soil is pounded and sieved into a finer and finer particles. Tradition dictates that when possible, broken pieces of old clay pots are added to the mixture .. providing additional strength, both physical and psychological, to the finished articles.
Water, oil and optional amounts of Gum Arabic and Wood Glue, which act as catalysts in accelerate drying and strengthening ( used especially when old pottery is not available )
are gradually added to the clay soil. Further pounding and manipulation by hand, eventually produces a malleable dark clay .. suitable for molding into the desired shapes.
Despite local temperatures often in the 40 to 50 C degrees range, this clay mix can be successfully stored in airtight plastic bags for later use.
Shapes are first created by hand .... here a new style large domed pyramid.
The surface area is smoothed using the side of a piece of broken car radio aerial
A hole is drilled in the center of the bead, initially using a wooden handled metal spike and followed by the hollow piece of aerial, which is left in place to more easily hold the bead. Note the high surface sheen which the addition of oil produces.
Using the edge of a hacksaw blade, Isata cuts grooves into a traditional bicone shape ...
... and starts decorating the top of a rounded pyramid.
Abli applying more patterns .. watched with rapt attention by a possible future apprentice.
More concentration from Adja and Isata, here using a glass jar as a smoothing tool.
Plain lines are applied with the straight back edge or the rounded end of the piece of hacksaw blade and a feathered effect is cleverly achieved using the serrated cutting edge.
Next to more traditional shapes .. a disc shape is cut out using a simple metal template.
Smoothing and decorating as before .. with a metal nail used as the holding spindle.
The simple toolkit used to make these newly decorated Whorls. A novel way of making tiny circles was to cut the tip off a biro pen cover ( in blue above ) and press it into the clay
.Particularly interesting and informative for their clever use of a pen top !
Beads in various stages of completion with the tools of the trade.
The decorated clay is left to dry outside in the sun for approximately 1 week before firing.
Large quantities can be made to order, as and when requested by the local bead dealers
With forethought worthy of congratulation .. Abli had assembled some beads which had already dried for a week and the sisters lit charcoal fires to demonstrate the firing process.
Simple charcoal braziers found all over West Africa .. normally used for cooking food.
As soon as the charcoal started to burn .. the beads were loaded onto the fires.
Around 100 beads were added to each fire and were then covered with more charcoal.
Firing time for black clay beads is 60 minutes, after which the contents of the fire
.. beads and charcoal .. are carefully tipped onto a bed of sawdust.
Water is poured onto the sawdust to assist with cooling and ...
... using wooden sticks, the sawdust is raked through to recover the very hot black beads.
On inquiring why they were leaving the other fire untouched .. the answer came as quite a surprise. I had assumed that a different type of lighter colored clay soil would be used for the light brown versions of beads that are as commonly seen as the black. This is not so.
To achieve the brown color, the beads are simply left to 'cook' for a further 30 minutes !
Then another strange phenomenon was revealed: If these beads are handled whilst they are still hot, a dark stain appears .. that does not disappear !! See the central lower bead.These beads have to be left to cool naturally before the final finishing is attempted.
All of this, as you can well image, was hot and thirsty work .......
.............. for workers and watchers alike !!
To enhance the patterns, the lines are coloured white. Originally, locally available chalk would be used, but this is very difficult to find nowadays, so locally produced whitewash
( often made from ground-up freshwater shells ) is used nowadays as an alternative.
Abli mixed some up in a bucket and for demonstration purposes ...
.... strung a single bead and dipped it in the coarse-looking mixture. Normally, beads
would be strung into necklace lengths and dipped together, to ensure a uniform whiteness.
The larger shapes are dipped individually, with care taken to insert a stick in the hole,
to prevent the whitewash entering inside the bead.
After a short dipping time, the surplus whitewash was removed by washing with water .....
..... to reveal very attractively finished beads.
The workers, 'film director' Mr. Barry .. holding a necklace of whorls which Abli kindly gave me, 'producer' Alaghi and two observers .. assembled in the shade for a photo call.
Whilst Mum takes in the washing, junior poses for the photograph and the neighbours continue to watch with friendly curiosity over the compound wall.
My grateful thanks go to Abli and his sisters Adja and Isata for letting me see, photograph and share the 'secrets' of their trade. This experience, similar to my observations of Modern Kiffa Bead making in Mauritania, showed that quality beads can be produced by single artisans and small family groups, using simple tools and techniques which have been handed down through the generations and will have changed very little over time.
Comparisons between ancient and modern Whorls from most continents of the world, show that although present day makers have adapted to making different shapes for commercial reasons, the modern designs remain very similar to the traditional patterns of the originals.
In my initial discussions with Abli, he wanted to know why I was interested and why it would be good for me to tell people all over the world all about his bead making, using the Internet. He had heard about the Internet from his city friends, but wasn't too sure exactly what it was and obviously had no idea of its power of advertising. I told him that my wish was to tell as many people as possible about him and his beads, to show them the skill and effort that he and his sisters put into making them and to further promote African traditional craftsmanship, the future of which he and his family were helping to maintain.
A broad smile came on his face when I told him that the more people who could see how lovely these beads are, the more people will buy them from the bead dealers .. like Mr. Barry ..whom he supplies on the local markets and Toubab traders like me, who buy from the dealers. The more we all buy, the more he will be able to produce and the more money he will make! I sincerely hope my wish comes true and he continues to use his talents, pass on his skills to the younger members of his family ... and smile broadly for a long time to come.
A family affair .. with the younger generation taking the lead.
A small selection of the countless thousands of unique Whorl designs to be found in Mali.
 All made in a similar fashion to that which has been described above and all providing individuals or family groups with precious income to supplement their lives.
Click Here to view the Ancient and Modern Clay Spindle Whorls that African Trade Beads are offering for sale.
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