Africans' unique hairstyling tradition
With social media apps wherein we can post all sorts of pictures becoming a big part of our lives, we tend to show more interest towards fashion, most especially with different hairstyles. Hair, as an extension of your identity, may also influence how you describe and define yourself. When it comes to Africa's culture, hairstyle is something that is important to both their culture and people’s identity. The strong connection between their unique hairstyle and African civilisation shows the significant role of hairstyles in their fashion. Looking at one’s hairstyle, you can identify their social class, spirituality, tribe and marital status
African people’s hairdressing tradition has been deeply rooted for centuries. However, it’s probably even earlier than that. Since African history was mainly oral and rarely written (except for Egyptian hieroglyphs and Ethiopian Ge’ez script), we can’t tell for sure. Because of this, they respect and appreciate it so much to the point that they only allow close relatives to do their hair. If the hair is in the hands of an enemy, it might be used as a component in the creation of a harmful charm or "medicine" that causes harm to the possessor.
Unique Tribal Hairstyles
There is a diversity of hairstyles in African culture. Each hairstyle has its own origin and story. Their hair is often braided, twisted or plated in various styles. Here are some unique hairstyles that you have never seen!
Edamburu
Edamburu is also known as “braided crown” or tumburu as this hairstyle looks like a crown. Its origin comes from the Mangbetu people of Congo and it has been worn since the early 20th century. This hairstyle inspired Beyonce and she has worn it in her music video called “Black is King''
Dreadlocks
You can see that many Africans wear dreadlocks and somehow this hairstyle has become trendy for many years. There are various style of dreadlocks and here are two popular dreadlocks.
Himba dreadlocks
This hairstyle is created by the Himba - a tribe in Northwestern Namibia. The Hima considered dreadlocks as a symbol for one’s age, marital status and stage of their life. To make the dreadlocks, the Himba use a special mixture containing orche, goat hair and butter. Normally, a teenage girl has her dreadlocks hung over her face. When she gets married, she would tie them to reveal her face.
Ochre dreadlocks
The Hamar tribe of Ethiopia invented this hairstyle by binding resin with water. Hamar women wear tiny ochre dreadlocks, called goscha, in their hair. They also decorate their hair with some colourful beaded jewellery.
Fulani braids
The Fulani tribe (also called Peul or Fulbe) live in the Sahel region and West Africa. They appreciate the hairdo called “Fulani braids” as it shows the identity of Fulani women. This style has braids that hang or loop on the sides of the head and is known for its length and unique patterns. In the centre of the head, there will be a coiffure. Beads, shells, wooden or metal ornaments, or even a family's silver coins and amber for heritage purposes, are then added to the hair.
Spiritual meaning
The African appreciate their hair as they believe it connects with the Divine Being. Each hairstyle has its own meaning. Styling hair is such a precious and time consuming job that the hairdresser holds a high position in society.
As Mohamed Mbod an associate professor of history at Columbia University and a native of Dakar, Senegal once said:
The hair is the most elevated point of your body, which means it is the closest to the divine.
Hair has somehow wove the way through the social, political and cultural conversations in Africa society.
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