Throughout history, braiding has been used for several reasons—from defining tribes, social status, and other societal classifications to mapping escape routes for slaves. This tradition of carefully intertwining tresses has been passed down through generations and become an integral part of Black and African cultures.
Braids are a symbol of strength, wisdom, and connection to ancestral roots. When one is entrusted with taking care of another person's hair, it is an honour. The task needs to be held with great respect.
1 Peter 3:3-4 ESV Do not let your adorning be external -- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear -- (4) but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
In many African tribes, braided hairstyles were a unique way to identify each tribe. Braid patterns and hairstyles were an indication of a person's tribe, age, marital status, wealth, power, and religion." Pace continues: "Braiding was, and is, a social art.
Later, after the slaves were sold to plantations, they would braid their hair in patterns resembling escape maps. The slaves used braiding patterns as a way to communicate with each other as well. To prepare for escape missions, slaves would braid produce like rice and beans in the hair.
Not only is hair braiding an expression of fashion and style, in the 1500s, braids were a mode of communication between various African societies. Your style of hair was a way to reveal your identity, indicating things such as your tribe, marital status, beliefs, and beyond.
In some cultures, they convey messages about background, tribe, and status, and document life events such as childbirth, war drafts, and funerals. Hair care and styling define Black identities by allowing individuals and groups to express their personal style.
Throughout history, braiding has been used for several reasons—from defining tribes, social status, and other societal classifications to mapping escape routes for slaves. This tradition of carefully intertwining tresses has been passed down through generations and become an integral part of Black and African cultures.
The interweaving of hair has always been a symbol of communal power — that there is strength in unity — and of the importance that indigenous people have always given to working together.
African-American, Afro-Latino and Caribbean folklore also relates multiple stories of cornrows being used to communicate or provide maps for slaves across the "New World". Today, such styles retain their link with Black self-expression and creativity, and may also serve as a form of political expression.
Protection Braids Explained
Since your hair is on your head, it holds a lot of your mental and spiritual energy. Creating a small braid that's been influenced by your own positive vibes protects this sacred energy. The protection braid is a symbol of positivity that guards you from negative frequencies.
Leviticus 19:27 in Other Translations
27 "Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard. 27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 27 "Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 - likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.
Early braids had many uses, such as costume decoration, animal regalia (like camel girths), sword decoration, bowls and hats (from palm leaves), locks (such as those made in Japan to secure precious tea supplies through the use of elaborate knots), and weapons (e.g. slings).
Hair has been used symbolically to humiliate, enable sacrifice, terrify, endow strength, and profess love. Changing as we age, hair is a biological, physiological, and social marker of stages of our life. Hair creates boundaries between human and animal, adult and child, male and female, and health and illness.
It is said that single strands of hair are weak when tugged on, however, when you pull all of the hair together in a braid the hair is strong. This reinforces the value of the family and tribe along with our connection to all of creation.
Braid patterns or hairstyles can indicate a person's community, age, marital status, wealth, power, social position, and religion. On July 3, 2019, California became the first US state to prohibit discrimination over natural hair.
However, hair braiding persisted as a form of cultural resistance and preservation. Enslaved women would braid each other's hair, incorporating intricate patterns and designs, which not only celebrated their heritage but also served as a way to communicate messages and escape routes for those seeking freedom.
Here, long hair is described as a glory and a covering, implying a form of honor and dignity bestowed upon women. This verse suggests that long hair is a natural ornament, a form of covering that aligns with divine order.
Braided hair was the stand hair style, but the problem in the Ephesian church was that the wealthy women were setting themselves apart with all the gold and pearls they would put into their braided hair, and they were also wearing extravagantly expensive clothing.
Braids indicated wealth, marital status, power, and religion. Slaves used braids to communicate escape routes. White slaveholders forced slaves to shave their head and keep a “tidy” appearance. Braids became popular worldwide during the 1900s.
Hair braiding has roots in ancient Africa. Many experts believe cornrows are the oldest braiding style. In the 1950s, a French ethnologist and his team discovered a rock painting of a woman with cornrows in the Sahara desert.
Many black women are using hair jewelry like beads, gold cuffs, and multicolored string to accentuate natural or protective styles such as braids, locs and twists. This "trend" however is rooted in the black hair experience.
Cornrows helped enslaved Africans put up small acts of rebellion and resistance by not only allowing them to keep their heritage close, but also providing a discreet way to transfer information. Cornrows soon became used as a way for slaves to secretly communicate with one another.
Black hair is the most common in Asia and Africa. Though this characteristic can also be seen throughout Europe as well, it is considerably less common. It can be found in Celtic populations such as in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Black hair can come in a variety of textures, just as any hair color.