Hairstyles in Africa and among African Americans are ever-changing, yet deeply rooted in a shared past.
Hairdressing in Africa is always the work of trusted friends or relatives. In addition to the amiable social aspects of the event, the hair, in the hands of an enemy, could become an ingredient in the production of a dangerous charm or "medicine" that would injury the owner.
Photo from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000
Boy with plait (ozondato and ondengura neckband, Himba, Namibia, Africa Photo dated: Anneliese Scherz, 1940's Photo from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Royal child with plait; New Kingdom ancient Egypt Source: V. Easy
In Egypt, the Pharaoh’s children wore a distinctive plait on the right side of the head.
The evidence of Greek writer Lucian (ca. 120–190 AD), the satirist from Samosata in his writing introduces two Greeks, Lycinus and Timolaus, who start a conversation:
Lycinus (describing a young Egyptian): "This boy is not merely black; he has thick lips and his legs are too thin . . . his hair worn in a plait behind shows that he is not a freeman."
Timolaus: "But that is a sign of really distinguished birth in Egypt, Lycinus, All freeborn children plait their hair until they reach manhood. It is the exact opposite of the custom of our ancestors who thought it seemly for old men to secure their hair with a gold brooch to keep it in place." (Lucian, Navigations, paras 2-3)
A recently discovered papyrus from Egypt informs us that Myron the Greek sculptor of the middle 5th century BC. made statues of the athlete Timanthes, victorious at Olympia in 456 BC, and of Lycinus, victorious in 448 and 444 BC.
Woman with complex coiffure and hair ornaments
Fulani, West Africa
Photo: Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal.
A coiffure is perfected by various decorations: cowries, beads, mother-of-pearl buttons, medals, pieces of silver, amber balls, metal rings, and pins of wood, bone or ivory. In the West African Sahel, the Fulbe and Peul (Fulani) cultivate impressive hairstyles.
For purposes to do with magic, a man or woman may also attach amulets to certain hairdos. The more elaborate coiffure includes braids, crests, curls, cascades, chignons, and vertical cornrows.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Woman with coiffure in the form of a crest with ornaments and comb.
Igbo, Nigeria, West Africa Photo: Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal.
A coiffure is perfected by various decorations: cowries, beads, mother-of-pearl buttons, medals, pieces of silver, amber balls, metal rings, and pins of wood, bone or ivory. In the West African Sahel, the Fulbe and Peul (Fulani) cultivate impressive hairstyles.
For purposes to do with magic, a man or woman may also attach amulets to certain hairdos. The more elaborate coiffure includes braids, crests, curls, cascades, chignons, and vertical cornrows.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
West Africa Photo: Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal.
Through the terms braiding, twisting, plaiting, and reverse braiding are often interchangeably, they actually describe different means of styling the hair.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Woman with a child from northern Dan village of Biankuma, Ivory Coast, West Africa Photo: Vandenhoute, 1938-39, IV.F.V. 89-10
The variety of the coiffures is apparent once again in the picture of a woman and child from Biankuma (northern Dan). The woman's high forehead, lined with a braids at each side, between the ear and the cheek.
The child on its mother's arm has short-trimmed hair but also a braid turned forward on top of its head.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Hairstyles in African Culture
Wife of the Niao chief at Ganya in We- territory of Ivory Coast, West Africa. Photo: Vandenhoute, 1938-39, IV.F.VII. 134-10.
The coiffure of the wife is very artful: her high, arched forehead is lined with a series of braids that end in the neck, while the top of her head is covered with many separated braids that are interwoven at the back, creating an excellent chignon at the base of the neck. The two braids descend along her face.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
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Visit the historical and archaeological sites of Axum (Aksum). The ancient city marks the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the kingdom of Axum was the most powerful state between the eastern Roman empire and Persia. The archaeological and historical attractions in Axum include: the archaeological museum, the magnificent monolithic steles and obelisks, the tombs of King Kaleb and King Gebre Meskal, the legendary bath of Queen of Sheba and the ruins of her palace. The 16th century cathedral St. Mary of Zion, the holiest church in Ethiopia is said to host the original Ark of the Covenant. The churches and monasteries of Axum are richly endowed with icons and historical crowns of ancient emperors.
Source: African Adventure Tours
Two women whose braids have been lengthened to their ankles through the use of sinew (eefipa) extensions, Mbalantu of Wambo group, Namibia, Africa Photo: M.Schettler, 1940's
Photo from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Men at the annual celebration in Tiker quarter, Warwar, Mambila, Cameroon, Africa Photo: Gil Schneider, 1948, courtesy of Evan Schneider. Cornrows and braids hair styles
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Men's hairdressing, Sango, Upper Mobangi River, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: The Minister of Colonies, Belgium, early 20th century.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Nasara, one of the wives of Akenge with typical fan-shaped style of the Zande, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Herbert Lang Expedition, 1909-1915.
The wive's of the Zande rulers south of Bomokandi wore their hair in a style that, like the Mangbetu coiffures, involved braiding their own hair along with "foreign" strands in the shape of a disc. This coiffure, call bagbadi, was in fact a fan-shaped wig, but was rarely taken off. The disc was attached to the hair with a few loose knots.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
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Woman with feather and other hair ornaments, Oulad-Hamid, Sudan. Photo: Bernatzik, first half of 20th century.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Sudanese Warrior Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection, 1929 Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA Public domain photo.
African warrior holding spear and shield.
The shield were used not only as defensive weapons, but also as decorative or ritual objects filled with symbolic meaning. They can be carved from wood, woven, made from a variety of hides and even metal.
The Samburu Warrior
The exact origin of the Samburu, who inhabit an area in Kenya's northern frontier, is unknown. What can be said is that the Samburu are one of several East African Nilotic peoples, who show traits of Hamitic acculturation. The men are tall and lean.
The warriors spend many hours braiding each other's hair into ever longer strands that fall evenly down their backs. They also smear red ochre mixed with animal fat over their hair. They wear beaded decorations across their foreheads, often entwined with their braided hair. All warriors wear ivory earplugs in the stretched holes in their earlobes.
The Samburu Woman
Many married women wear thin, metal ornamental crosses at the front of their beaded headbands. Although this decoration serves no purpose other than adornment, it would appear to have derived from the elaborate Christian crosses of Ethiopia. Some of the warriors also wear smaller versions of these crosses hanging from the visors of their headdresses.
Some women wear long beaded earrings which, in addition to the small circular brass earrings, denote married status. These are made of hide oversewn with beads and are threaded through the large holes in the earlobes made shortly before marriage.
Their strands of beads are given to them by the warrior admirers of their girlhood or more recently by their husbands.
Color photos and text from the book African Warrior the Samburu, Thomasin Magor, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 1994.
Natives of Ugogo, east central Africa Gogo (African People)
Source Title: Illustrated London news. Publisher: London : Illustrated London News and Sketch Ltd., 1842
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Serpa Pinto, Alexandre Alberto Da Rocha De, 1846-1900, artist Source Title: History of Mankind, by Friedrich Ratzel, translated from the second German edition by A. J. Butler, with an introduction by E. B. Tylor, Publisher: New York: Macmillan, 1896-1898.
Photo References: Black and white photos from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Color photos from the book African Warrior the Samburu, Thomasin Magor, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 1994.
Hairstyles in African American Culture
WE ARE NOT AFRICANS BECAUSE WE ARE BORN IN AFRICA, WE ARE AFRICANS BECAUSE AFRICA IS BORN IN US.
- Chester Higgins, Jr.
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quote:Originally posted by TruthAndRights: [QB] cont'd
Woman with feather and other hair ornaments, Oulad-Hamid, Sudan. Photo: Bernatzik, first half of 20th century.
Photo and text from the book Hair in African Art and Culture, Edit by Roy Sieber and Frank Herreman, The Museum for African Art, New York, 2000.
Wow, the continuity here is impressive. The feather headed Nehesu of Egyptian iconography have been a focus of discussion here in the past and this was also apparently a custom of the ancient Lybians to the west of Egypt. I wonder what other continuities exist. The photo of the Funali lady you posted is reminiscent of certain hairstyles seen on Algerian rock art and indeed, the tradition of plaiting seems to be pretty ancient.
What do you have concerning the origin of rasta-style dread locks?
Posts: 4021 | From: Bay Area, CA | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
The Masai tribesmen of Kenya were the earliest men to sport the dreadlock styles for black men. These dreadlock styles for black men were also dyed with root extracts making them look red in color.
The turkana tribe of Kenya also wear their hair in dreadlocks. The differences are that it is worn in a mowhak fashion; the hair is shorn off at the sides and is predominantly worn by women. This tribe mostly has their hair in this way for beauty and fashion purposes.
Below is another example of red ochred dyed hair from the sambura tribe. Here both men and women wear thier dreads in the red ochre fashion.
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posted
Hamar Girl, Ethiopia Crushed minerals are dusted over a Hamar girl's locks. Mixing butter, red mineral pigments, and sometimes incense, Hamar women roll their hair into thick, ropey strands.
(obviously, I am pulling some of these photos out of the Black Beauty thread, lol) Posts: 3446 | From: U.S. by way of JA by way of Africa | Registered: Jan 2010
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quote:Originally posted by TruthAndRights: [QB] The Masai tribesmen of Kenya were the earliest men to sport the dreadlock styles for black men. These dreadlock styles for black men were also dyed with root extracts making them look red in color.
Nice! Indeed, a lot of East/Northeast Africans seem to dye their hair red. I must say, it does beautify them quite a bit in that it IS pretty appealing to the eye. African aesthetics (more specifically, perceptions of beauty) is another fine area of research.
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posted
In almost all African cultures hairstyles fulfilled more than just aesthetic appeal but were symbolic of many things from age, to status in society, to accomplishment etc. etc.
A common hairstyle among children is to have their heads shaved with portions of hair left, sometimes the portions are braided such as the Egyptian "side-lock of youth"
Beja child
Amhara tufts
Afar multi-locks
Ethiopian child's row Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: In almost all African cultures hairstyles fulfilled more than just aesthetic appeal but were symbolic of many things from age, to status in society, to accomplishment etc. etc.
A common hairstyle among children is to have their heads shaved with portions of hair left, sometimes the portions are braided such as the Egyptian "side-lock of youth"
Beja child
Amhara tufts
Notice the Similarities between East African hair and that of the Nile Valley..
Man from Aswan Egypt
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
^^^^ Just Ignore the Troll...BTW T.R you should make the next Black Beauty series on African traditional clothing!!
Ill be back with more..gotta go.
Posts: 8804 | From: The fear of his majesty had entered their hearts, they were powerless | Registered: Nov 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Dawhoreslips: The queen Tiye bust is not wearing an afro. It is a bag-type headdress. Here is a statue wearing a better preserved example of the same thing...
You are either blind or demented. First of all Tiye's bust portrays her wearing a wig NOT a headdress! Many Egyptologists call it the "round wig", but those of us not in denial know such wigs were based on afros!
Here is another view of Tiye.
Here is her husband Amehotep III wearing the same type of wig.
quote:Queen Tiye's actual mummy, does this look like an Afro to you?
Again, fool the bust was of her wearing a wig. And we've explained the whole hair thing many times before. Do you really expect the hair of a 3 millennia old corpse to be same as when she was alive??
quote:Braided hair is not the norm for Egyptian mummies, and many are less than frizzy...
The thread topic is not on mummy hair but ancient Egyptian hairstyles in general. We already addressed your fallacy on Africans having frizzy hair only anyway.
Malian girl
Ethiopian girl
Egyptian girls
quote:Braids do not make anyone black, by the way...
Of course not! But what are you implying, that these were whites who adopted an African hair style??! Or are you suggesting that such hairstyles having nothing to do with black Africa??! Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by -Just Call Me Jari-: ^^^^ Just Ignore the Troll...BTW T.R you should make the next Black Beauty series on African traditional clothing!!
Ill be back with more..gotta go.
Honestly, it's not me I'm worried about.
Posts: 1502 | From: Dies Irae | Registered: Oct 2010
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quote: ...BTW T.R you should make the next Black Beauty series on African traditional clothing!!
Yuh don't see how every good-up thread to celebrate US and fi wi AFRICANNESS/AFRICAN BEAUTY wey mi mek, some pale-skinned jancro or wannabe n*gga or self-hating kneegrow- no matter ah which di whole ah dem ah p*ssyhole- come in and mash it up?!
KMRT...Cho, mi cyan bodda yah mon....
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This girl above is wearing a wig, I think. I seen pictures of girls from this group I believe the "Krombo" or something. And they are known to wear wigs of plant fibers just like some ancient Egyptian wigs that give a sleek straight haired appearance only the Krombo styles are shorter.
I learned from Diop's writings that such wigs are actually common in many parts of West Africa. Can anyone provide any more examples?
Posts: 26238 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
The pics are great but there is more to the story than just looking good especially in traditional African societies ,in some societies it tells the rank of a person in society,age grade, marital status or even secret organizations one might belong to.
quote:Originally posted by Brada-Anansi: The pics are great but there is more to the story than just looking good especially in traditional African societies ,in some societies it tells the rank of a person in society,age grade, marital status or even secret organizations one might belong to.
Indeed....
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-------------------- "TRUTH IS LIKE LIGHTNING WITH ITS ERRAND DONE BEFORE YOU HEAR THE THUNDER" - Gerald Massey "TRUTH IS FINAL" -Mumia Abu-Jamal Posts: 3446 | From: U.S. by way of JA by way of Africa | Registered: Jan 2010
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