Understanding the history of hairstyles

Yoliswa Dube-Moyo
ONE of the courses I enjoyed the most during my undergraduate degree studies was American Literature.

I hadn’t experienced something as enthralling before. My lecturer, Dr Javangwe, made it all the more interesting.

To date, I remember distinctly Frederick Douglass’ experience as a slave, his escape and how he picked up the pieces from his autobiography, Life And Times of Frederick Douglass.

It was really eye-opening. It was then that movies like The Colour Purple made more sense.

I got reminded of this deep history recently when someone Tweeted about the importance of understanding the history of hairstyles before wearing or denigrating them. Dreadlocks for some are a fashion statement, while others wear them due to religious reasons. Cornrows are understated and many believe wearing them is a sign of being broke, yet we’ve had celebrities like Alicia Keys making them a signature hairstyle.

What’s even more interesting is the history behind cornrows which many don’t know about. They don’t know of this hairstyle’s role in the freedom struggles which have led to the liberties enjoyed by many today.

Cornrows have long been a facet of African beauty and life.

In many African societies, braid patterns and hairstyles indicate a person’s community, age, marital status, wealth, power, social position and religion. In the Caribbean, the style may be referred to as cane rows to represent “slaves planting sugar cane” and not corn.

During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, many slaves were forced to shave their hair to be more ‘‘sanitary’’ and to move them away from their culture and identity.

But not all enslaved Africans would keep their hair cut. Many would braid their hair tightly in cornrows “to maintain a neat and tidy appearance”.

Enslaved Africans also used cornrows to transfer and create maps to leave plantations and the home of their captors. This act of using hair as a tool for resistance is said to have been evident across South America.

Since slaves were rarely given the privilege of writing material or even if they did have it, such kind of messages or maps getting in the wrong hands could create a lot of trouble for the people in question. Cornrows were the perfect way to go about such things.

No one would question or think that one could hide entire maps in their hairstyle, so it was easy to circulate them without anyone finding out about it.

In the time of slavery in Colombia, hair braiding was used to relay messages. For example, to signal that they wanted to escape, women would braid a hairstyle called departes. It had thick, tight braids, braided closely to the scalp and was tied into buns on the top.

And another style had curved braids, tightly braided on their heads. The curved braids would represent the roads they would use to escape. In the braids, they also kept gold and hid seeds which, in the long run, helped them survive after they escaped.

That said, cornrows are a great protective hairstyle. Winter is here and you need to get that hair covered up and protected from weather elements.

Whether you decide to do cornrows with just your hair or with braids should be entirely up to you. Remember, it says nothing about your social standing. In fact, you should feel all the more proud to wear cornrows because you know the history behind them. A history of black ingeniousness and innovation. Be true to yourself and do what makes you happy. Always.

Feedback from “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”

Lovely read. We have to love ourselves the way God created us. I have been given lots of solutions on how to add a bit of flesh. Then I’m sure if I gain weight, I’ll be given more solutions to lose weight! I love myself, sorry, not following anyone. — Trish.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @PatternStyleZw or WhatsApp +263774492700.

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