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.
