The history and cultural significance of dreadlocks

 

The history and cultural significance of dreadlocks

Dreadlocks, also known as "dreads" or "locs," have a rich history and cultural significance that spans across different cultures and continents. The origins of dreadlocks can be traced back to ancient Africa and the Caribbean, where they have been worn by various tribes and communities for thousands of years.

In ancient Africa, dreadlocks were worn by various tribes as a symbol of spiritual devotion, strength, and bravery. They were also worn by warriors and holy men to signify their spiritual power and connection to the divine. In the Caribbean, dreadlocks have been worn by the Rastafari movement as a symbol of resistance against colonialism and racism, and as a way to reconnect with their African heritage.

The Rastafari movement, which emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s, has been closely associated with dreadlocks ever since. Rastafarians believe that dreadlocks are a symbol of the spiritual and physical power that comes with letting their hair grow naturally without cutting or combing. This is seen as a way of rejecting Western beauty standards that are imposed on people of African descent and as a way of embracing their natural hair and African heritage.

Dreadlocks are also seen as a way of connecting with and honoring the spiritual power of Haile Selassie I, the Ethiopian emperor who Rastafarians consider as the living god. For Rastafarians, dreadlocks are a symbol of the spiritual and cultural connection to Africa and to the divine power represented by Haile Selassie I.

Dreadlocks have also been worn by other spiritual and cultural movements, such as the Hindu holy men in India and the Sufis in Pakistan and North Africa, as a symbol of spiritual devotion, asceticism and detachment from materialism.

Over the years, dreadlocks have been subject to various forms of discrimination and marginalization, particularly for people of African descent. However, dreadlocks have also been embraced by some feminist movements as a symbol of resistance and self-expression, and as a way to reclaim their natural hair and reject Eurocentric beauty standards.

In conclusion, dreadlocks have a rich history and cultural significance that spans across different cultures and continents. They have been worn by various tribes and communities as a symbol of spiritual devotion, strength, and bravery.

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Dreadlocks: What you really need to know

Dreadlocks: What you really need to know

I have found something very interesting on wikipedia, but it was too long, I brought you only the most important things, and you can still read everything (link below)

Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata (Hindi), are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing. Additionally, leaving long hair to its own devices by not brushing or cutting the hair will encourage it to tangle together as it grows, leading to twisted, matted ropes of hair known as dreadlocks. The latter method is typically referred to as the neglect method. A common misconception is that those who have dreadlocks do not wash their hair, but this is not always the case. Many dreadlock care regimens require the wearer to wash their hair up to twice a week (a normal amount for healthy, clean hair of any style).

Dreadlocks are associated most closely with the Rastafari movement, but people from many ethnic groups in history before them have worn dreadlocks, including many ancient Semitic and Indo-Aryan peoples of the Near East and Asia Minor, Sadhus of Nepal, India and the Sufi Rafaees, the Māori people of New Zealand, the Maasai and the Oromo of East Africa, and the Sufi malangs and fakirs of Pakistan, and medieval Irish Warriors.

Etymology
The word is a compound word combining the words dread and locks that dates to the time of the invasion of native peoples in the West Indies. In the 1960s the intent may have been to evoke the dread aroused in beholders of the hair; "dread" also has a sense of "fear of the Lord" in the Rastafari Movement, which can be partially expressed as alienation from contemporary society.

History
The first known examples of dreadlocks date back to East Africa and some parts of North Africa. Maasai men found in the regions of northern Tanzania and southern Kenya have been wearing dreadlocks for as long as they have survived. There hasn't been official date of the "start" of Maasai dreadlocks, but it is a tradition that has been going on for thousands of years.[citation needed] Even today, Maasai men can be found easily donning their dreadlocks, with a tint of red color from the soil.

In ancient Egypt examples of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles and wigs have appeared on bas-reliefs, statuary and other artifacts. Mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with locks, as well as locked wigs, have also been recovered from archaeological sites.
The Hindu deity Shiva and his followers were described in the scriptures as wearing "jaTaa", meaning "twisted locks of hair", probably derived from the Dravidian word "Sadai", which means to twist or to wrap. The Greeks, the Pacific Ocean peoples, the Naga people and several ascetic groups within various major religions have at times worn their hair in locks, including the monks of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Nazirites of Judaism, Qalandari Sufi's the Sadhus of Hinduism, and the Dervishes of Islam among others. The very earliest Christians also may have worn this hairstyle. Particularly noteworthy are descriptions of James the Just, first Bishop of Jerusalem, who wore them to his ankles.

Pre-Columbian Aztec priests were described in Aztec codices (including the Durán Codex, the Codex Tudela and the Codex Mendoza) as wearing their hair untouched, allowing it to grow long and matted.

In Senegal, the Baye Fall, followers of the Mouride movement, a sect of Islam indigenous to the country which was founded in 1887 by Shaykh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, are famous for growing locks and wearing multi-colored gowns. Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, popularized the style by adding a mystic touch to it, it's important to note that warriors among fullani, wolof, serer and mandika were also known to have dreadlocks when old and cornrows when young for centuries.

(Source: Wikipedia, read full article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadlocks)

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