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Dreadlocks
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Dreadlocks, also called locks or dreads, are matted coils of hair which form by themselves eventually fusing together to form a single dread. This is possible in all hair types, if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without combing or using conditioner for a long period of time.
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Encyclopedia
Dreadlocks, also called locks or dreads, are matted coils of hair which form by themselves eventually fusing together to form a single dread. This is possible in all hair types, if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without combing or using conditioner for a long period of time. However, they can also be intentionally formed as well through backcombing the hair into dreadlocks (or more commonly in the Americas and West-Indies by twisting). Because of the variety of different hair textures, there is a variety of methods used to encourage the formation of locks such as "backcombing" sections of the hair with a holding wax, and a process involving the weaving of the hair with a crochet needle to form knots.
Dreadlocks are associated most closely with the Rastafari movement, but people from many groups in history have worn them, including the Hindu Shiva worshippers of India, wealthy members of ancient Egyptian society and some pre-Christian European peoples.
History
The first known examples of dreadlocks date back to Africa. In ancient dynastic 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 "caTai", 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 Coptic Church, the Nazirites of Judaism, 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 Bŕmba Mbŕkke, are famous for growing locks and wearing multi-colored gowns. Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, claims that he was "the first dread in West Africa".
In Jamaica the term dreadlocks was first recorded in the 1950s as a term for the "Young Black Faith", an early sect of the Rastafari which began among the marginalized poor of Jamaica in the 1930s, when they ceased to copy the particular hair style of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and began to wear dreadlocks instead. It was said that the wearer lived a "dread" life or a life in which he feared God, which gave birth to the modern name 'dreadlocks' for this ancient style.
Most Rastafari still attribute their dreadlocks to Selassie as well as the three Nazarite vows, in the Book of Numbers, the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch.
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. (Numbers 6:5, KJV)
Nazarites for life who wore locks and were mentioned in the Bible include the Nazarites Samuel, John the Baptist, and probably the most famous biblical figure with locked hair, Samson, who, according to scripture, had seven locks and lost his great strength when they were cut.
By culture
There are many reasons among various cultures for wearing locks. Locks can be an expression of deep religious or spiritual convictions, a manifestation of ethnic pride, a political statement, or be simply a fashion preference. In response to the derogatory history of the term dreadlocks, alternative names for the style include locks and African Locks. It is also argued that the accurate term for the process of creating the style is locking rather than dreading.
Usage
The formation of dreadlocks uses a constant turning of the hair. Caution and care should be used to ensure safety of both the hair and hand/wrist. The constant motions used must be performed with caution. Remember to follow the "Handy rule" Which states "Proper posture of the hand-arm system is very important. As a rule the wrist should not be bent, but must be kept straight to avoid overexertion of such tissues as tendons and tendon sheaths and compression of nerves and blood vessels."1
Africans
Africans and people of African descent are known to wear this hairstyle. Various African tribes wear locks and the style change from one group to another. The warriors of The Massai tribesmen of Kenya are famous for their long thin red dreadlocks, these men dye their hair red with root extracts. In West Africa what are known as Fetish priest; spiritual men or woman who serves and speak to spirits or deities often wear locks. In Benin the priests of the Yoruba religion of Olokun the spirit of water wear locks. The Hemba people of the Congo also dye their dreadlocks red, but their stlye is thicker than that of the Massai. Other tribes include fang people of Gabon, the Mende of Sierra Leon and theTurkana people of Kenya.
Africans brought the hairstyle with them to the Americas during the African diaspora. As a result of this the style can still be seen on people of African descent from North America, South America and the Caribbean. Well-known Black artists such as Rosalind Cash, Whoopi Goldberg, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz, Bobby McFerrin, Tracy Chapman, Terrance Hobbs and Mike Smith of death metal band Suffocation, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Living Colour, Lil Wayne and Keith Hamilton Cobb wear the hairstyle. Even though it is not always political some black people wear dreadlocks as a symbol for black pride and cultuaral identity, for some women it’s a way to break free from western standards of beauty and free from chemically straightening their hair.
Rastafari
The Rastafari wear locks as an expression of inner spirituality and to emphasize their identity. Their religion states that they must remain "whole" (hence why Rastafari Bob Marley refused to have his cancerous toe removed which could have saved his life). Following Haile Selassie, cutting dreads are highly prohibited in the Rasta culture. Due to this, dreads knot naturally because their hair is not to be tampered with.
Another interpretation among the Rastafari is that "dread" refers to the fear that dreadlocked Mau Mau warriors inspired among the colonial British. The Mau Mau, a largely ethnic Kikuyu rebel group in Kenya fighting to overthrow their colonial British oppressors from 1952–1960, hid for many years in the forests, during which time their hair grew into long locks. The images of their rebellion, then broadcast around the world, are said to have inspired Jamaican Rastafari to wear locks.
Dreadlocks on a Rasta's head are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian Flag. Rastas hold that Selassie is a direct descendant or reincarnated form of Christ. Rasta's also believe African people are the descendants of the Israelites.Tribe of Judah Through the lineage of Kings of Israel David and Solomon, and that he is also the Lion of Judah mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
Hinduism
Similarly, among some Sadhus and Sadhvis, Indian holy men and women, locks are sacred, considered to be a religious practice and an expression of their disregard for profane vanity, as well as a symbol of their spiritual understanding that physical appearances are unimportant. The public symbol of matted hair is re-created each time an individual goes through these unique experiences. In almost all myths about Shiva and his flowing locks, there is a continual interplay of extreme asceticism and virile potency, which link the elements of destruction and creation, whereas the full head of matted hair symbolizes the control of power.
Gangadhara Shiva captures and controls the river Ganges with his locks, whose descent from the heavens would have deluged the world. The river is released through the locks of his hair, which prevents the river from destroying earth. As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the tandava, which is the dance in which the universe is created, maintained, and resolved. Shiva's long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a kind of pyramid, loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies, knocking them off course or destroying them utterly.
Locks in India are reserved nearly exclusively for holy people. According to the 'Hymn of the longhaired sage' in the ancient Vedas, long jatas express a spiritual significance which implies the wearer has special relations with spirits, is an immortal traveller between two worlds and the master over fire:
The long-haired one endures fire, the long-haired one endures poison, the long-haired one endures both worlds. The long-haired one is said to gaze full on heaven, the long-haired one is said to be that light ... Of us, you mortals, only our bodies do you behold. ...For him has the Lord of life churned and pounded the unbendable, when the long-haired one, in Rudra’s company, drank from the poison cup (The Keshin Hymn, Rig-veda 10.136)
The Shaiva Nagas, ascetics of India, wear their jata (long hair) in a twisted knot or bundle on top of the head and let them down only for special occasions and rituals. The strands are then rubbed with ashes and cowdung, considered both sacred and purifying, then scented and adorned with flowers.
Western Styles
When reggae music gained popularity and mainstream acceptance in the 1970s, the locks (often called “dreads”) became a notable fashion statement; they were worn by prominent authors, actors, athletes and rappers, and were even portrayed as part and parcel of gang culture in such movies as Marked for Death.
With the Rasta style in vogue, the fashion and beauty industries capitalized on the trend. A completely new line of hair care products and services in salons catered to a white clientele, offering all sorts of "dreadhead" hair care items such as wax (considered unnecessary and even harmful by some), shampoo, and jewelry. Hairstylists created a wide variety of modified locks, including multi-colored synthetic lock hair extensions and "dread perms", where chemicals are used to treat the hair.
Locked models appeared at fashion shows, and Rasta clothing with a Jamaican-style reggae look were sold. Even exclusive fashion brands like Christian Dior created whole Rasta-inspired collections worn by models with a variety of lock hairstyles.
In the west, dreadlocks have gained particular popularity among certain subcultures. Examples of these are the New Age Traveller, hippie, crust punk, hyphy and gothic subcultures. Also it has gained popularity as a style among youth of both Black African and European descent. Members of the cybergoth sub-culture often wear blatantly artificial "dreadfalls" made of synthetic hair, fabric or plastic tubing.
Ways to Make Dreadlocks
As dreadlocks have become increasingly popular in Western culture, alternative methods for creating them have developed. Traditionally it was believed that in order to create dreadlocks, one had to refrain from shampooing, brushing or combing one's hair for several months at a time. This style of dreadlocks is most often referred to as organic or freeform dreadlocks because they are "free of form" and the hair is actually encouraged to matte with little or no additional styling, though now it is widely known that all dreadlocks are washed and kept very clean. Freeformed dreads are actually washed more regularly because unraveling is not an issue.
Today, braids, comb-coils, finger-twisting, palm-rolling or two-strand twists can be used as the basis for forming dreadlocks. The new methods offer a far more hygienic creation process as hair can be shampooed as often as the wearer likes and due to the increased styling required with these methods, they result in dreadlocks that look less unkempt.
In addition to variations in the creation and care of dreadlocks, tool methods such as Sisterlocks and Brotherlocks were developed that enable people to have dreadlocks that are small as the width of a broom's straw.
See also
External links
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