![]() ![]() Cornrows were also used as a clever method to communicate and create maps to escape from the homes of slave-owners. But this wasn’t adhered to by everyone. Many of those enslaved grew out their hair and braided it into cornrows as an act of resistance, rebellion and reclamation of cultural identity. They were made to shave their heads for the purpose of “sanitation” and as a way to strip them of their culture and identity. However, in more recent history, cornrows were used as a powerful tool of resistance against slavery and bondage.ĭuring the Middle Passage, millions of enslaved Africans were chained and transported across the Atlantic to the Americas. ![]() The earliest documentation has been in Stone Age paintings in the Tassili Plateau of the Sahara. They have been traced back to around 3,000 BCE where they were found in various cultures of West Africa and the Horn of Africa. While some view cornrows as a modern trend, their history actually dates back millennia. Take a walk through the strands of human history with these five distinct hairstyles from around the world.Ĭornrows are a type of braided hairstyle in which “the hair is braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to make a continuous, raised row.” Also known as canerows in the Caribbean, they can be styled in straight lines as well as in intricate geometric or curved patterns. In the age of social media, however, many of these traditional hairstyles have been adopted-or appropriated rather-by celebrities, social media influencers and festival-goers as mere fashion statements without any thought given to their deep cultural significance or painful history. Thus, learning about the history and significance of hair is vital to fostering a more mindful and respectful attitude towards Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. Many of these styles have stood the test of time and remain prominent today within and without the unique cultures in which they originated. Hairstyles have symbolised one’s age, tribal affiliations, ethnicity, religion, social status, marital status and more, and have allowed ethnic and cultural groups to define and even reclaim their identities. Throughout history and across various cultures, hair and hairstyles have had significance far beyond aesthetic beauty and protection from weather. ![]()
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