IB MYP · Personal Project

Beads That Speak

A study of Maasai beadwork — how colour, pattern and design carry identity, tradition and values — and the beaded shoes, waist beads and booklet that came out of it.

Brian Mutuku · Research, design and making · 35-week project

35
Weeks from first research to submission
3
Finished outcomes: shoes, waist beads, booklet
7
Success criteria set before making began
3
ATL skills applied: research, communication, creative thinking
01

Planning

Criterion A — the learning goal, the product goal, and the criteria the finished work would be judged against.

Learning goal

My learning goal was to develop a deeper understanding of Maasai culture — their traditions, values and identity — and the meaning behind their beadwork. I wanted to learn how they use different colours, patterns and designs, and what that beadwork represents in society today. I also wanted to build my knowledge, creative thinking and design skills by gathering research that would help me create and design the final product. Through this project I hoped to gain new knowledge about Maasai culture and use it to arrive at a design of my own.

The interest behind it

My interest in exploring different cultures started when I was six years old. I have always been curious about cultures, their values and their beliefs. That curiosity eventually led me to Maasai culture because of their cultural practices, especially their beadwork.

I was also inspired by my family, particularly my mother, who practises beadwork often. Watching her work drew me towards Maasai culture and showed me how beadwork can carry cultural values, traditions, beliefs and unique traditional practices. I wanted to go beyond the appearance of the beadwork and understand the meaning behind it, and how it represents Maasai culture.

Before starting this project I already knew something about Maasai culture and their beadwork. What I did not know was how the beadwork is actually made, or how colours, patterns and designs are chosen. That gap is what made me more interested in learning how Maasai beadwork connects to cultural identity, values and respect, and it made me want to investigate the culture more deeply. The research would then guide the designing and making of the final product.

Product goal

My product goal was to design and create Maasai-inspired beadwork: one pair of shoes and one set of waist beads. Both would use colours, patterns and designs that connect to and communicate Maasai culture. I wanted the products to show how Maasai values, identity and symbolism can be communicated through beadwork, and I used my research to decide the colours, patterns and designs so that each part of the beadwork carried a meaning.

Alongside the products I created a booklet for students who want to learn more about Maasai culture and beadwork. The booklet explains the process of making the waist beads and the shoes, the meaning of each colour in Maasai culture, and the cultural meaning behind the patterns and designs I used. It also includes photographs of the beadwork I made, sketches and supporting information to make it easier to follow.

The booklet helps the audience understand how the research influenced the way I created and designed the products. Together, the products and the booklet show the creativity involved in the making, what I learned about Maasai design and the meanings behind it, and how that learning shaped my decisions.

I chose two products because it let me use different techniques, designs, colours and patterns, and because I wanted each piece to have a clear connection to what I had learned. It challenged my creativity when deciding on patterns and designs, and it developed my practical skills — planning, measuring and working carefully with beads.

To make sure the products were successful, I wrote a specific, measurable success criteria table to evaluate both the products and the booklet. The products are measured on cultural meaning, colour, patterns and design, and quality and neatness. The booklet is measured on its content and its visual information. The criteria gave me a clear way to check my progress and reach the product goal.

Success criteria

Set before making began — used as a checklist throughout
Criterion 1–2 Limited 3–4 Developing 5–6 Strong 7–8 Excellent
Cultural meaning The shoes and waist beads have no connection to Maasai culture. The shoes and waist beads show some connection through a few patterns, colours or designs. The shoes and waist beads show a clear connection to Maasai culture through colours, designs and patterns drawn from the research. The shoes and waist beads have a strong connection to the research through the colours, patterns and designs used, with a clear cultural meaning explained in the booklet.
Colour Few colours used, with little explanation of their meaning or value. Some colours used, with some of their meanings explained in the booklet. At least five colours used, each with a clear explanation in the booklet of what it represents in Maasai culture. A range of colours chosen from the research, each strongly explained in the booklet in terms of what it represents in Maasai culture.
Patterns and design Patterns and designs are limited and not clearly planned or organised. Patterns and designs are present and partly planned. At least three patterns or chosen designs connected to the research, able to represent Maasai culture. A range of designs and patterns that represent Maasai culture and show how it is present in society today.
Quality and neatness The beadwork is incomplete or loose, with many unfinished parts needing correction. The product is mostly complete but parts still need correcting or improving. The shoes and waist beads are neatly made and finished in a way that is respectful to the community itself. The shoes and waist beads are fully complete, secure and carefully finished, with consistent technique and attention to neatness.
Creativity and design Shows no creativity and does not follow the design chosen from the research. Shows some creativity, with a limited planned design. Shows creativity and follows the design sketches and plans. Shows my own creativity while clearly following the sketched design plan, using research to make meaningful design decisions.
Booklet content The booklet gives limited information about the product, the process and the colours used. The booklet contains a few sketches and photographs of the products. The booklet contains sketches and photographs that make the making process easy to explain. The booklet contains at least five clear photographs and sketches that show the product clearly and make the process easy to follow.
Visual information Contains few or no pictures, sketches or photographs. Contains some information about the product, understandable in parts. Clear and suitable for students, who can use it to learn about Maasai culture and beadwork. Clearly and strongly organised for MYP students, using simple language and clear information to help them learn about Maasai culture and beadwork.

Action plan

To reach the product goal — the Maasai-inspired shoes, the waist beads and the information booklet — I built a detailed plan to guide each stage. It begins with research into Maasai culture, beadwork, colours, patterns and designs, then moves into designing and making the products and the booklet. I used the success criteria throughout to check cultural meaning, colour, design and the rest, documented the process and feedback in my process journal, and made changes where they were needed.

  1. Week 1–5
    Research Maasai culture and beadwork in depth

    Research Maasai traditions, values, culture and patterns using reliable sources, recording the information that would matter later in the project.

    LaptopBooks and articlesResearch papersNotesCultural meaning
  2. Week 6–10
    Research the colours and their meanings

    Research the colours I planned to use and understand the cultural meaning behind each one before settling on a final set.

    Research notesColour chartAestheticsCultural meaning
  3. Week 10–11
    Research patterns and techniques

    Study the patterns used in Maasai beadwork and decide on the specific designs and sketches for the final product.

    Research notesWebsitesSketchesPhotographsCultural meaning
  4. Week 12–15
    Finalise research and start design sketches

    Make several sketches of the shoes and waist beads showing colours, bead placement and pattern, refining them over time into a final sketch.

    SketchbookPencilResearch notesAestheticsCreativity
  5. Week 15–16
    Prepare the materials

    Select the right materials for the final product, organising suitable beads, strings and tools.

    BeadsShoesThreadToolsMaterials and environment
  6. Week 17–21
    Make the shoes from the chosen design

    Follow the final sketches and apply the research — especially on colour, pattern and design — so the finished shoes are ready to show.

    BeadsShoesThreadSketchesToolsCultural meaningFunction
  7. Week 22–26
    Make the waist beads and begin the booklet

    As with the shoes, follow the patterns and designs carefully and arrange them according to the research, checking the size and strength of the piece as I worked.

    BeadsStringsSketchesGoogle DocsCanvaPhotographsSizeCultural meaning
  8. Week 27–28
    Check quality and safety

    Check the weak points of the beadwork — loose beads, weak connections, unfinished sections, uneven areas — and correct every problem found.

    ProductChecklistToolsSafetyFunction
  9. Week 28–30
    Document the process and build the booklet

    Take photographs and select clear images of the research, sketches, materials and each stage of making, through to the final product.

    CameraPhoneSketch photographsAudienceAesthetics
  10. Week 30–33
    Feedback and improvement

    Organise all the research, colour meanings, patterns, sketches and process photographs, and gather feedback from peers and supervisors.

    FeedbackChecklistDraftAll criteria
  11. Week 33–34
    Final evaluation

    Compare the final product against the booklet using the success criteria, and apply the feedback received to improve the product.

    Final productBookletSuccess criteriaAll criteria
  12. Week 35
    Submit

    A full and final check of the booklet, waist beads and shoes against the success criteria, then prepare everything for presentation.

    Complete

Conclusion of Criterion A

In Criterion A I developed a clear plan to achieve both my learning goal and my product goal. The research became my guide in choosing colours, patterns, designs and materials, while the booklet documented the process. The success criteria kept me organised, let me monitor my progress, and helped me make improvements as the project went on.

02

The colour language

Reference material for the booklet. Select a bead colour to read what it carries in Maasai beadwork.

These are the meanings most commonly documented for Maasai beadwork. Brian should check each one against his own research notes and the University of Nairobi article before the booklet goes to print — meanings can differ between communities, which is one of the extensions he identified himself.

03

The work

The sketches behind the design and the research that shaped it. Photographs of the finished shoes, waist beads and booklet are coming soon.

Design development

ProcessDesign sketches — four viewsThe beaded sandal drawn from four angles to test the strap pattern
ProcessShoe design — final sketchTop view of the chosen design, with the beaded strap and toe disc
ResearchPattern study — beaded collarA traditional Maasai collar drawn to study concentric bead patterns

Research sources

SourceSocial-Cultural Impact of Bead Work in East AfricaMaina & Nguru (2020), hosted in the University of Nairobi repository
SourceArticle on Maasai colour meaningsNews feature on Maasai beadwork artisans and what each colour represents
04

Applying skills

Criterion B — the three ATL skills that carried the project, and what each one did for the learning goal and the product goal.

Three skills ran through this project: research skills, communication skills and creative-thinking skills. Together they moved me from simply gathering knowledge to understanding Maasai culture and beadwork, and then applying that understanding to something of my own. Research skills built the understanding of what the colours, patterns and designs mean. Creative thinking turned that information into ideas and designs for the shoes and waist beads. Communication skills let me organise and share what I found, through the booklet and through the project documentation.

Researching Maasai culture through academic sources, so the designs could be built on understanding rather than appearance.

Towards the learning goal

I researched Maasai culture using relevant academic sources. The main one was “Social-Cultural Impact of Beadwork in East Africa: the Nexus between the Dinka, Samburu & Maasai Ethnicities” (2020), held in the University of Nairobi repository. It helped me investigate beadwork from a social and cultural perspective rather than only its visual appearance, and it led me to understand why beadwork matters in Maasai culture rather than just what it looks like.

This research is what achieved my learning goal. It let me develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between beadwork and Maasai culture, tradition and identity, and I used that understanding to make the first guide and draft design for my Maasai-inspired products. Instead of creating something without understanding its cultural context, I used the research to make informed decisions — and the same material became the content of my booklet. The skill moved me from a general awareness of Maasai culture to an understanding of its cultural and social significance: I learned to look past the appearance of the beadwork and consider what it communicates about culture, tradition and identity.

Towards the product goal

I used research skills to make informed decisions while developing the products. By researching Maasai beadwork and its cultural and social significance, I understood the context behind the elements I wanted to use, which let me consider the colours, patterns, designs and meanings that could be represented. Instead of choosing elements at random, the information guided my design decisions.

I also used the research when developing the booklet: I selected the information relevant to my products and organised it so that the booklet could explain the cultural ideas behind the beadwork. That created a direct link between research and final product — the booklet was not separate from the making, it documented and explained the knowledge that shaped the designs. The research is what made the shoes and waist beads genuinely connected to the culture I had investigated.

Conclusion of Criterion B

I applied research, communication and creative thinking throughout the project to reach both goals. Research built my understanding of the cultural meanings behind Maasai colours, patterns and designs. Communication let me organise and present that information clearly in the booklet and gather feedback from others. Creative thinking turned the research into original designs for the shoes and waist beads. Applying all three is what connected what I learned about Maasai culture to the product I actually made.

05

Reflecting

Criterion C, strand i — what the project changed, and the problems that changed it.

When I started, I was mainly interested in how Maasai beadwork looked — the colours, the patterns, the designs. I thought making the products would mostly be about making them look good. As the research went on I realised there was far more behind the beadwork: colours, patterns and designs can communicate cultural ideas, identity, traditions and values. That changed my learning, because I stopped thinking only about how the product looked and started thinking about what my design choices meant and how they connected to what I had found.

What went wrong, and what I did about it

One of the main challenges was that some of my original designs did not work the way I expected. Sometimes the colours did not sit well together, or a pattern I had planned was difficult to apply to the product. At first this felt like going backwards, because I had already spent time planning the design. Rather than abandon the idea, I went back to my sketches and changed some of the colours, patterns and bead arrangements, trying several arrangements before choosing the one that worked better. It taught me that the first idea does not have to be the final idea, and that changing a design can make the finished product better.

The second challenge was the amount of work. I had research to do, sketches to make, shoes and waist beads to build, evidence to collect and a booklet to develop — and a deadline. At times it felt like too much at once. I dealt with it by breaking the project into smaller stages and finishing one part before moving to the next. My time management was not always right and I still felt the pressure near the deadline, which taught me to start important tasks earlier and leave room for problems I had not planned for.

The third challenge was turning research into actual designs. Reading about Maasai beadwork was straightforward; deciding how to use that information in my own products without copying an existing design was not. My solution was to treat the research as a guide and then develop my own sketches and arrangements. That taught me the difference between researching a cultural design and using research to create something inspired by it, and it made me more careful about explaining the cultural information behind my choices.

What the project developed in me

The project affected both my learning and my development as a learner. I began focused on the visual appearance of Maasai beadwork and, through research, developed a deeper understanding of its cultural significance. That changed how I approached making: instead of judging a design by whether it looked attractive, I became more consistent in using the information I had researched to drive my decisions, which is what connected the research to the practical work.

It also developed my ability to solve problems independently, because parts of the project did not run as smoothly as I expected and I had to reconsider my designs. It developed my self-management: completing the research, the designs, the products and the booklet looked like a very large amount of work at the start, and breaking it into smaller stages is what made it manageable — though, honestly, it did not go entirely to plan because of the volume of work. And it increased my confidence as an independent learner: I was responsible for my own decisions about research, design, product development and presentation.

Overall, the project deepened my understanding of Maasai culture and beadwork and developed research, thinking, creative, problem-solving, communication and self-management skills. Most importantly, it taught me how to make something while turning the challenges along the way into strengths, through adjustments that led to a much better understanding.

06

Evaluating the product

Criterion C, strand ii — each outcome measured against the success criteria set in Criterion A, with the level reached and what would improve it.

To evaluate the final product I compared the shoes, the waist beads and the booklet against the success criteria I wrote at the start of the project, looking at cultural meaning, colour, patterns and design, quality, creativity and the information in the booklet. Using the evidence from the finished products and the development process, I identified which criteria I met and which areas could still improve. That showed me how well the products met the original product goal, and whether they succeeded in communicating what I had learned about Maasai culture and beadwork.

The evaluation also let me see which areas exceeded my expectations and which were weaker, using the completed products, the booklet and the feedback I received. It let me reflect on the strengths of the outcome and name the specific improvements I would make with more time.

Cultural meaning

Level 4 — Excellent

The shoes and waist beads showed a clear connection to Maasai culture, because I used researched colours, patterns and designs rather than choosing them for their appearance alone. The research helped me understand that Maasai beadwork can communicate cultural identity, traditions, values and community, and I applied that understanding in my designs and explained the meanings in the booklet. That made the products more meaningful and tied them back to my learning goal. Some of the cultural meanings could have been explained in more detail, particularly how specific patterns and colour combinations relate to Maasai traditions.

Why this level

The products showed a strong connection between the research and the cultural ideas represented in the designs, and the booklet explained the meaning behind those choices.

Possible improvement

Research a wider range of Maasai beadwork traditions and include more detailed explanations of how particular designs and patterns connect to cultural identity, traditions and values.

Colour

Level 4 — Excellent

I used several colours in the shoes and waist beads based on my research into Maasai beadwork. The colours were not random — I considered their cultural meanings when planning the designs, and I explained each colour and what it represents in the booklet, so the audience could see that the colour was connected to the meaning of the product. What I could improve is explaining more clearly how the different colours work together as one complete design.

Why this level

The colours were used purposefully rather than randomly, were connected to the research, and their meanings were communicated clearly in the booklet.

Possible improvement

Experiment with more colour combinations and explain more clearly how the colours work together and what their combined meanings communicate.

Patterns and design

Level 3 — Strong

The patterns and designs on the final products were influenced by the research and developed through creative thinking. I used sketches and design ideas before making the final products, which helped me plan the arrangement of the beads. I could have made more prototypes to compare different designs before selecting the final ones.

Why this level

The designs were clearly influenced by research and showed creativity, but more prototypes and more experimentation with patterns would have come before the final choice.

Possible improvement

Create more sketches and prototypes before choosing the final designs, which would allow a fairer comparison of patterns and more detailed, culturally connected results.

Quality and craftsmanship

Level 3 — Strong

The finished products showed care and effort in how the beads were arranged and attached. I worked to keep the beadwork neat and the products well finished. Some parts could have been more consistent, particularly the spacing and the finishing of the beads; more time for final checking would have improved the craftsmanship.

Why this level

The products were completed carefully and showed good craftsmanship, but spacing and finishing could have been improved with more time and checking.

Possible improvement

Spend more time checking the spacing, attachment and finishing of the beads, which would make the products neater, stronger and more consistent.

Functionality and safety

Level 3 — Strong

The products were made with their intended use in mind and the beads were securely attached. I also considered whether the materials were appropriate for each product. I could have tested the products over a longer period to give stronger evidence of their durability.

Why this level

The products were usable and the beadwork was securely attached, but longer testing would have given stronger evidence of durability and function.

Possible improvement

Test the shoes and waist beads over a longer period before treating them as finished, to find loose beads or weak areas and adjust them for durability and safe use.

Booklet

Level 4 — Excellent

The booklet clearly presented information about Maasai culture and beadwork, including colour meanings, patterns, designs and the process of making the products. It helped the audience understand the research behind the final products. It could be improved with more step-by-step photographs and further explanation of my design decisions.

Why this level

The design was clear and visually effective, with colours and patterns that worked together to create an attractive final appearance.

Possible improvement

Include more step-by-step photographs, clearer explanations of the design decisions, and more evidence of how the research influenced the final products, to make the booklet more informative and easier to follow.

How my understanding developed

My knowledge and understanding of Maasai culture and beadwork developed significantly over this project. At the beginning I focused on the visual appearance of beadwork — colours, patterns and designs. Through my research I learned that Maasai beadwork connects to cultural identity, traditions, values, community and symbolism. That changed how I see beadwork: it is not only decorative, it communicates important cultural ideas.

The project also extended my understanding of how research can shape creativity. I learned to use what I found to make purposeful decisions about the colours, patterns and designs in the shoes and waist beads. Instead of choosing designs because they looked attractive, I considered how they connected to the cultural information I had learned — which is what joined my learning goal to my final product.

If I continued this project, I would research a wider range of Maasai beadwork traditions and explore how meanings and designs differ between communities. I would also make more prototypes and experiment with more patterns before producing the final designs, which would deepen the cultural understanding while improving the quality and originality of the products.

4
Achievement level — Criterion C
Excellent

I reached this level because I explained clearly how my knowledge and understanding developed through the project — from focusing mainly on the appearance of beadwork to recognising its deeper cultural significance. I showed how the research influenced my creative decisions and named specific ways I could extend the learning and improve the project, reflecting not only on what I learned but on how the project changed my understanding and how I could take it further.