Mde in gold, this nyaminytami charm is a beautiful example of the craftsmenship from Southern Africa. Modelled around the wooden nyami nyamis made by the local craftsmen and woman in Zimbabwe and Zambia, it make a beautifil gift or gold charm for a charm bracelet. This is a charm for love, courage and bravery.
Nyaminyami charm in gold
The story around Nyami Nyami is well documented and is a story about love and courage, and loyalty and determination. Chosen a sthe symbol for those who have been brave enough to jump off the ridge at Victora Falls, it also has all the qualities to make it a symbol for Ubuntu – the African way of caring for each other.
The charm is made in 9ct gold, but is available in silver, 14ct gold and 18ct gold. Any visitor who has been to Zimbabwe or Zambia will recognise this iconic snake like charm. The craftsmen who line the roads in the Vic Falls area have many versions of the charm – from small sculptures to small pendants on leather thongs. Each Nyaminyami is lovingly carved out of indigenous woods, highly detailed and all following the same shape and form. The price varies from trader to trader, but most of them charge so little that you wonder how they make a living out of carving nyaminyami. Perhaps the tourist market likes to bargain and have forced the price down – what joy there is in bargaining the price down of such an iten is unknown to me – my advice – when you buy a wooden nyami – pay double – let the trader pet some bread on his table – you will still be getting a bargain of a lifetime – the time it takes to make these little pendants will always be more than you pay. Westerners who come to Africa, to try and get good deals from poor locals, play a selfish, silly game – the tourists, who generally has never missed a meal in their lives, have no idea about the hardships these people face – and then they come and try to save a few dollars by bargaining with hungry people – pretty strange I would say!
size of charms we make for Nyami
The other side of the story are the trees that are cut down to support the carving trade. If tourists had to pay the true price of an indigenous hardwood carving they would pale – of course, the trade is not monitored, and the tourists gladly pay a pittance for the right to enjot a piece of a 200 year old African hardwood tree, and all the while knocking the price down. All this does is keep the carver in poverty, and the number of old harwood trees dwindling. The tourist will go home with a nyami nyami and a great story about how they cheated a local – and feel good about it. This is not what Nyami is, or was, about. Remember that next time you stop at a roadside trader, have a heart, and a conciounce – do the right thing.
All of that aside – enjoy you nyami nyami, learn from his courage and faith – whether you want a nyami charm in silver or a charm in gold – it will bring you pleasure. They can be worn on a charm bracelet or on a necklace. We ship the items anywhere in the world. We will send the full story of nyami nyami to you – his story happened when they were building the Kariba damn, how he caused all manner of grief for the builders, how he fed the local, hungry tribes by cutting meat from his own body, and how he lost his wife. A sad and inspiring story, but one that will show the inner thinking of the Southern African ingenious tribes, maybe changing you mind about these wonderful people and their culture.