IT is not surprising these days to see children and adults donning necklaces, rings or bangles made from grass, tree bark or animal skins.
These are worn as decorations or fashion accessories, but upon further interrogation, one is made to understand these are not just fashion statements, but charms that protect children from ‘witches’ and bad luck.
Some are protection symbols, just like Roman Catholics wear the cross or rosary.
In Zimbabwe, symbols and charms, ranging from animal, bird and snake figurines, are worn on different parts of the body, depending on one’s totem or tribe.
A common figurine among the BaTonga of the Zambezi Valley and parts of neighbouring Zambia is the Nyaminyami, their river god, which is worn around the arms, necks, on fingers as rings, as headbands, bracelets or walking sticks.
The wearing of this symbol is believed to bring good luck and protection from the river god.
The fishermen in the Zambezi Valley also wear this symbol for better catches.
Among other tribes such as the Sotho, Venda and Shangani, a small strip of goat skin is tied on one’s arm, neck or waist together with an assortment of colourful beads for good luck and protection from evil and ‘witches’.
However, different people in Zimbabwe venerate certain charms and symbols in accordance with their tribes’ traditions, the belief in these charms is so powerful that some of them are hardly separated from the bodies of the wearer.
People, ranging from gamblers to businesspersons, use luck charms and some sort of figurines to ‘increase’ their riches.
The liberation war fighters were not an exception in the use of charms and other protection figurines which they wore to protect themselves from the enemy and wild animals during the war.
They spoke of how these symbols worked in their favour, during the war because they faced numerous dangers and diseases from which they survived.
Rastafarians (believers in or followers of Ras Tafari) wear their symbolic green, red and yellow charms.
These range from the busts of the head of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Salaise, Marcus Garvey and other pioneers of the Rastafarian Movement or religion.
These are made from wood, copper and sometimes gold.
Some Rastfarians do not shave their hair and wear dreadlocks.
They wear an assortment of jewellery, rings and necklaces as well as branded clothing.
Sometimes they wear copper bangles on their wrists to wade off sickness.
According to some Rastafarians, these are symbols of peace, love and harmony among followers of Ras Tafari.
However, due to its popularity and universality, different tribes have joined this movement, including whites who sympathise with the cause of this movement.
The Christian crusade of guitar-strumming Pentecostal churches that has swept the country in recent years has also compelled some congregants to wear armbands, rings and other paraphernalia they believe to protect them from evil vices in their societies, or to reflect how powerful their leaders are.
According to research, charms and charm-bracelets can be traced back through many civilisations in world history.
First emerging during the reign of great Egyptian pharaohs, charm bracelets were symbols of protection and identification.
Charms were thought to grant the person wearing them a prosperous after-life, as the charms represented what possessions the wearer desired.
Early Christians of the Roman Empire secretly wore fish charms known as ichtys to identify their religion.
For knights of the Middle Ages, charms were used to garner additional protection in battle.
At this time, charms also designated a person’s vocation, family origin or political leaning.
After falling somewhat out of fashion during the renaissance, charms and charm bracelets once again soared to popularity in the 19th Century, thanks to Queen Victoria who wore charms as fashion and jewelry accessories.
During this time, charms consisted of glass beads, miniature lockets and family crests.
The Second World War era witnessed a sudden jolt of charm interest as soldiers brought home small baubles and trinkets from the Pacific islands to give to their loved ones.
Jewellers noticed these little items and created charms that replicated the island feel. In the 1940s, gumball charms, which were a type of plastic, were popular among children.
In the 1950s, charms honoured nearly every special event, life marker or occasion.
While the 1990s saw an increase in the popularity of vintage charms, high fashion industry leaders made charm bracelets an ‘it’ item once again in the early 2000s.
Dating back to civilisations that existed around 8700 BC, pendants have been a longstanding staple in the jewellery world.
Egyptian pharaohs and other African chiefs wore cartouches, which were pendants designed to protect each pharaoh from evil.
While early pendants were made from clay or stone, as jewellery-making techniques advanced, pendants were made from glass and gemstones.
In ancient Rome, pendants were typically made of gold.
While charms and pendants may seem similar, the differences between the two jewellery accessories are distinct.
Charms can be placed on bracelets and necklaces.
These jewellery items range from expensive high-end pieces to plastic charms for children.
Pendants are generally more formal gemstones that hang from necklaces.
Among ancient cultures such as the African, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabs and Hebrews, great importance was placed on the use of amulets.
The Egyptians employed them everywhere.
The frog protected fertility; other pendants symbolised everlasting life and generation; the eye was for good health, comfort and protection against evil; the scarab beetle was for resurrection after death and protection against evil magic.
One of the most notable amulets of ancient Egypt is the Eye of Horus.
Cylinder seals were used as amulets by the Africans, Assyrians and Babylonians. Within them were embedded semi-precious and precious stones.
Each stone supposedly possessed its own unique magical powers.
There were various animal-shaped amulets such as the ram for virility while the bull stood for virility and strength.
The Arabs, too, had amulets protecting them from evil.
Small sacks containing dust from tombs were worn.
They also wore pieces of paper on which were written prayers, spells, magical names or the powerful attributes of God such as ‘the compassionate’ and ‘the forgiver’.
The Hebrews wore crescent moons to ward off the evil eye and they attached bells to their garments to ward off evil spirits.
In Africa, inhabitants had amulets which the Western explorers and missionaries called fetishes.
The fetish symbolised protection to the natives.
Historically, the two most universal symbols of amulets have been the eye and the phallus.
Eyes are thought to protect from evil spirits and are found on tombs, walls, utensils and jewelry.
The phallic symbol, represented by horns and hands, is protection from the evil eye.