YAWA THE EARTH: BORN ON THURSDAY WAIST BEADS

I Thought Being Strong Meant Carrying Everything

When we had just bought our new home, my partner was working around seventy hours a week. After work, he would go straight to the new house to renovate it.

Meanwhile, I was at home trying to hold everything else together.

I was pregnant and suffering from preeclampsia. I had a one-year-old toddler who needed me, a daughter preparing for her final primary school test and an entire household to manage.

At the same time, my aunt needed me to arrange transport to an event. My mother-in-law wanted to know whether I would be present at Christmas.

And somehow I kept responding as if these were perfectly reasonable questions to ask a woman whose body was already waving several red flags.

Thankfully, I had taken leave from work.

Looking back, I realise I could simply have called in sick.

But that is what so many women do. We continue. We organise. We solve. We carry. And because we are still standing, everybody assumes we are fine. That is what I thought about while creating Yawa.

Meet the Thursday Woman

Within Ewe-speaking communities, Yawa is one of the traditional names given to a girl born on Thursday.

Common male Thursday names include Yao and Yawo.

For this collection, I paired the Ewe name Yawa with the traditional Akan symbolism connected to Thursday: the earth.

The personality reading on this page is my creative interpretation of that Thursday symbolism. The Thursday woman is often the ground beneath everybody else’s feet.

She creates safety. She remembers what needs to be done. She keeps the family, work and daily chaos moving while somebody asks whether she has also remembered to buy wrapping paper.

People trust her because she is strong.

But sometimes they rely on that strength so much that they forget to ask whether she is okay.

Even the Earth Needs Rest

The earth carries homes, cities, forests and oceans. But she also moves through seasons.

There is a time to grow and a time to become quiet. There is a time to carry and a time to put something down. Yawa reminds you that being dependable does not mean being endlessly available.

Strength is not seeing how much you can carry before your body forces you to stop. Strength can also sound like:

“I cannot do that today.”

“I need help.”

“This is not mine to organise.”

Why Mint Green?

Mint green represents rest, renewal, balance and a fresh beginning.

I chose this softer shade of green because Yawa’s strength is not hard or aggressive. Her strength is calm, rooted and alive.

She reminds you to come back to your own body before rushing to solve the next problem.

Your body is not an inconvenience standing between you and your responsibilities.

Your body is your home.

Made for Thursday Women

Yawa was created exclusively for women born on a Thursday.

She belongs to the woman everybody trusts to handle it, but who is learning that she does not have to handle everything alone.

You do not have to be Ghanaian to wear Yawa. You only need to respect the Ghanaian traditions behind her and possess the correct Thursday credentials.

Consider her your official Thursday Women’s Club membership card.

There are no responsibilities attached to this membership. You already have enough.

Her Details

Yawa is a traditional tie-on waist bead handmade with glass beads on cotton string. She has no clasp and no elastic.

Once tied, she remains around your waist while you sleep, shower, work and live your life.

As your body changes, Yawa may sit higher, lower, tighter or looser. She helps you notice your body without immediately judging or trying to change it.

Ewe name: Yawa
Day of birth: Thursday
Akan collection symbolism: The Earth
Colour: Mint green
Style: Traditional tie-on waist bead
Materials: Glass beads on cotton string
Closure: No clasp and no elastic
Lengt: 130cm

Small variations in colour and bead placement make every waist bead unique.

You Are Allowed to Put It Down

You were not born to become the ground everybody walks across. You were born to be rooted in yourself. Yawa is imported from Ghana in small batches. Once she is gone, she will not return until the next shipment arrives. Tie her around your waist and let her remind you:

You can be strong without carrying everything.

Add Yawa to your cart today!