Bead making still vital to Kenya's tribes

Susana Daniel Chemakwany sits quietly under a white tent near the US capitol, stitching tiny, multicolored beads together into a colorful array of necklaces, wristlets and earrings laid out before her on two tables and behind her pinned to a wall.

Not far from where Chemakwany sits is another tent, a marketplace where some of her work is for sale. Clothes, shoes and baskets, all with beading incorporated into the design, are available.A price tag hangs from each item, but there was a time when Chemakwany had little need for price tags on her work. Back then, beading was something fun to do during downtime, but things have changed.

The traditional pastime of jewelry-making has a new economic significance for Chemakwany, an elder of Kenya's Pokot tribe, who traveled to Washington's National Mall last month to show her wares and share expertise at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.The annual two-week celebration highlights contemporary traditions of specific countries.This year's event ended on July 6 and featured the art, dance, music, food and crafts of China and Kenya.