Handcrafted Bracelets

One of the many ways that you can support us and our mission is through the purchase of bracelets made by the blacksmiths of the Datoga tribe. Read on to learn more about these incredible craftsmen,

Among the thorny acacia and towering baobab trees in the back country surrounding Lake Eyasi in Tanzania, the Datoga people have lived for hundreds of years. They live traditionally tribal lives of large family groups and huts made from mud and scavenged wood. Over time they have become well known for two skills in particular: herding and blacksmithing. While they are excellent herdsman, raising and trading cattle and sheep, it is the tribe’s blacksmiths who draw the interest of tourists and locals alike.

Using simple yet effective tools, they transform scrap metal into spearheads, knives, arrowheads, jewelry, and farming tools. Their craftsmanship is highly valued, especially by the Hadzabe tribe of hunter-gatherers, who trade honey and animal skins for Datoga-made arrowheads.

Tribe members will trade or scavenge for scrap metal such as brass pipe fittings, scrap wire or various metals, screws, nails, broken tools, and more. The metal is then brought to the blacksmiths who set up their work areas under the umbrella-shaped canopy of the acacia trees and surrounded by a wall of cut and dried acacia branches.

The blacksmith’s furnace is often an open fire that is fed with fresh and charred wood and stoked with a bellows made from animal skins and operated by hand. The scrap metal is placed in a mold and set directly in the fire and covered with the coals. Once melted the mold is pulled from the fire and the newly forged metal bar is allowed to cool.  

The metal is then ready to be shaped and molded. The brass, copper, aluminum and steel are then hammered and twisted into intricate shapes for use in jewelry. The jewelry they make is often made with several metals and, at times, combined with other elements such as colorful plastic and delicate beadwork.

To craft many of the arrowheads that are traded and vital to the hunters of the Hadzbe tribe, the smiths only need a handful of nails. Using hand forged hammers, chisels and files, the nails are shaped on the surface of a large smooth stone. They are sharpened with fine edges and, in some cases, barbs to ensure their effectiveness against larger animals.

For the Datoga, their metalwork is an important part of their livelihood among the other tribes with whom they trade for other goods. However, they are more than happy to share their process and goods with tourists who often visit them on a daily basis.

These bracelets are handmade by the Datoga blacksmiths, purchased by our sister organization in Tanzania, and delivered to us to share these unique crafts with you.

Your purchase of these bracelets, helps the people of Tanzania in two ways.

First, the purchase of the bracelets directly from the Datoga allows them to use the money they receive for the benefit of their impoverished families and tribe. A portion of your purchase will go back to the blacksmiths to allow us to restock as needed.

Second, a portion of each purchase goes to assist the New Smile Center in caring for the orphaned and impoverished children and families, who are mostly single-parent tribal families. These funds provide food, clothing, tuition and supplies for school, medical assistance, and other necessities that help lift these people further out of poverty.

Essentially, 100% of the amount of your purchase of these bracelets is given back to the people of Tanzania.

Bracelets will be made available for purchase online in May.