Meaning
The small, glossy, black-and-red seed of a climbing vine — 'jankro' being the John Crow (vulture) — strung as beads and once used as ornaments and playthings. Bright and hard, the seeds are pretty but their inside is poisonous, so children were warned never to swallow them. Also called 'crab eye' for the little black spot on the red seed, jankro bead is a familiar bush plant known to every country child.
Examples
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Wi string up jankro bead fi mek necklace.
We strung up john crow beads to make a necklace.
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Nuh swallow di jankro bead, it poison.
Don't swallow the john crow bead, it's poisonous.
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Di jankro bead red wid a black eye.
The john crow bead is red with a black spot.
Origin
From 'jankro' (John Crow, the vulture) + 'bead'; the red-and-black seed (Abrus), aka 'crab eye'. See [[john-crow]], [[macca]].
How it’s used
The glossy red-and-black seed of a vine, strung as beads; poisonous inside. See [[john-crow]], [[macca]].