Headwraps are a vital part of many cultures, especially in parts of the African region. In traditional African religions, a new initiate (Iyawó) is easily identified by wearing White from head to toe, including a headscarf that must be worn at all times. This is true in Ifá, Santería, Candomblé, Lucumí, and many other derivative and contemporary faiths. This hair fashion is still very much in vogue.
Headwraps, traditional attire is known or called different names depending on the specific area. For instance, the Yorubas in Nigeria, a country located in West African, call their folded wraps 'geles'. However, it is essential to know that the headwraps, which are known to be called many names in various African countries, do mean many things when worn.
Spiritually, African women and Black women have adopted head coverings as a religious aesthetic. From hijabs in the Islamic tradition to White lace coverings in the Catholic and Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Black women have known that covering one’s head is an act of faith. Sangomas, South African healers, cover their heads with wigs and scarves, often with ornate beads and threads.
Using headwraps as protection is still a very valid act of self-care. Some women wear headwraps before going to sleep to prevent them from getting all kinky or relatively dry due to cotton pillowcases. Headwraps have been more or less a remedy for most women who couldn't style their hair. With the way the world is fast becoming digitalized, it is essential to know how to tie a headwrap as it is invariably made available on many YouTube channels.
Headwraps have been around for quite a considerable amount of years or rather centuries. During the slave era, many of the slave owners enforced a rule to ensure black women had head coverings. Headscarves aimed to protect the head from lice, the sun, and even sweat. However, they were more or less symbolic markers.
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Despite being forced to do things contrary to their beliefs, what black women did was create several ways to resist. Some of them wore their wraps or coverings in a way that would send signals among themselves, which was indeed void of their master's knowledge. In 1865, black American women continued creatively wearing headwraps, even after abolishing slavery. However, while rocking the style, it became more associated with homeliness. For black women to become more socially recognized, they began to teach or, better yet, embrace Eurocentric standards for acceptance as well as to be seen as a professional in society back then.
During slavery era, slave owners were responsible or preferably in charge of blacks' dress code. These women were responsible for catering to their masters' children, their mistress, and their masters. The 'mammies,' as they were well known as back then, were more or less a mother figure. However, these women weren't going to be put down easily or let their inferior status tarnish them.
Also, black men embraced headwraps, and it was highly popular with the durag and the conk, which helped maintain hairstyles. The durag, a pressing cap, was often worn to protect chemically treated hair that was one way or the other turned into soft waves. Even though the chemically processes hair saw a decline in the sixties and seventies, it didn't make the head tie-less popular among black women.
In 2019 the state of California ruled that it was illegal to discriminate in workplaces and schools on the basis of natural hair with the CROWN Act. Reclaiming pride in traditions and claiming the undeniable beauty of Blackness requires constant effort. Headscarves have been allies in the work place for blacks - keeping them protected from harm, acting as a canary in the coal mine to communicate with our people, and as an unabashedly boisterous crown of pride - worn high and bright. It is a reminder of that which is already within (strength, royalty, and the legacy of an unbreakable people).
No matter where you travel throughout the African diaspora, whether it be throughout the United States, South America, or Africa, the head scarf has stood the test of time and remains an important part of Black culture - pre-colonial, colonial, and present day. As Maya Angelou said “Your crown has been bought and paid for.
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Kente Cloth: A Symbol of Heritage and Pride
This spring thousands of college students will march across commencement stages to receive their degrees. Many of these students will do so while wearing a Kente cloth stole. This annual college ritual of marking oneself with a visible sign of Africa is a practice that literally weaves together the wisdom of Africa before the Middle Passage with the persistent struggle to (re)attain knowledge of oneself that defines Black experience in the Diaspora. But just how did this West African cloth become a hallmark of the Black American collegiate experience?
The Kente center of the world is the village of Bonwire, Ghana. According to Asante mythology, it was here that great trickster Ananse the Spider, ever skillful and cunning, spun a web of intricate detail in the jungle. When Nana Koragu and Nana Ameyaw, brothers and weavers by trade, came upon Ananse’s web, its immaculate beauty enchanted them. After studying Anansi’s handiwork, the pair returned to the village and began to weave Kente.
Historical documentation indicates textile production among the Akan and Ewe peoples began as early as 1000 B.C. Kente cloth as we know it today with its rich bold colors emerged among the Asante during the seventeenth century A.D., as Chief Oti Akenten (from whose name Kente derives - “basket” in Twi) established trade routes from the Middle and Far East bringing into the Asante Empire a variety of foodstuffs, gems, dyes, leather goods, and silk fabric. Chief Akenten commissioned the new cloth to be spun for royal ritual attire.
Kente is a meaningful sartorial device, as every aspect of its aesthetic design is intended as communication. The colors of the cloth each hold symbolism:
- gold = status/serenity
- yellow = fertility
- green = renewal
- blue = pure spirit/harmony
- red = passion
- black = union with ancestors/spiritual awareness
Kente cloth sheets are assembled out of sewing together long strips or bands of fabric, each 6”-10” wide. Each one of these bands are themselves composed of panels of alternating designs. Each weaver creates this patchwork appearance through a complex interplay of the warp (the threads pulled left to right during weaving) and weft (threads oriented up and down). These warp and weft motifs form a repertoire of craft work, as Asante weavers give each one a name that indicates clan, social status, or sexuality, such as AberewaBene meaning “a wise old man symbolized wisdom and maturity.”
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Other Kente design names form proverbs reflecting the Asante ethos and worldview. Owu nhye da (“Death has no fixed date”) is said to encourage people to right living, as death may come unexpectedly and allow no time for penitence. Nkum me fie na nkosu me aboten (“Don’t kill my house and then mourn for me in public”) cautions against the two-faced and duplicitous impulse of human nature. Richly expressive and personalized Kente meanings emerge out of clever combinations of colors with various warp and weft designs.
Kente cloth materialized the spoken rhetoric of proverbs and circulated them among the Asante as sartorial text/iles. Kente appeared on the radar of most African-Americans in 1958 when Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister of independent Ghana, wore the cloth to meet with President Eisenhower at the White House. Coinciding with the Civil Rights and African Decolonization Movements, Black Americans associated Kente cloth with Black politics and the dignity of the African heritage.
By the early 1970s, the predominant garment featuring Kente in the United States was the dashiki, a long tunic-type shirt that grew increasingly popular and commodified by the fashion industry. Kente’s appeal within Black Power waned, with Fred Hampton and other Panthers leaders deriding those who wore them. Nevertheless, Kente cloth and dashikis remained staples of urban Black life and received a new layer of significance when adopted by the Hip Hop community in the 1980s.
Another important moment in Kente fashion history occurred at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Recognizing the need to honor the particular historical and personal struggle of Black students to complete a baccalaureate degree, Dr. Franklin Simpson, Director of Affirmative Action and Jerome “Skip” Hutson, Director of Minority Affairs, met with with two English professors, Drs. Christian Awuyah and C. James Trotman. Together the four came up with the idea of a Kente Commencement Ceremony, and on May 15, 1993, thirty graduates attended that first ever event called A Family Affair.
To date, nearly two thousand graduates of West Chester University have donned Kente stoles. When Black students wear Kente stoles as a sign of their successful matriculation through higher education, they transform their bodies into living, breathing proverbs. Whether graduating from an HBCU or an PWI, each journey to commencement courses down a road hewn open through the labors of Charlotte Forten Grimké, W. E. B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson and countless others.
The Asante stylized their values and ethics through the poetics of Kente. Kente’s Diasporic genealogy weaves a pattern of African knowledge and pride across the Middle Passage and onto the capped and gowned bodies of Black American graduates. Happy is the one who walks in the way of the ancestors. What does your Kente say?
💖🌸 Cute kente styles for graduation | kente styles for engagement | kente dress designs
The Keffiyeh: A Symbol of Resistance and Solidarity
This scarf we call the palestinian keffiyeh today has a fascinating history dating back to Sumerians and Babylonians in Mesopotamia. It is also known as a shemagh scarf, arab scarf, Palestinian hatta, yamegh, and igal. Prophet Mohammd (pbuh) used to wear the Shemagh as well. Donning the Shemagh has held many different meanings and uses over time and depending on location / culture. The symbolic meaning, color and keffiyeh style vary from one country to another and even from one region to another.
Today it is well known that the keffiyeh is a symbol of resistance and solidarity in the Arab countries and in Palestine in particular. But the root history is said to go back to the Sumerians in Mesopotamia (the civilization of Sumerians and Babylonians in West Asia in 3100 BC). The yamegh, or shemagh, was worn by priests, as a symbol of high rank, or honor.
During the British Mandate, especially during the 1936 Arab Revolt, Palestinian rebels used the keffiyeh to hide their identity to avoid arrest. When British Mandate authorities banned the keffiyeh, all Palestinians started wearing it to make it harder to identify the rebels. These events turned the keffiyeh into a symbol of resistance in Palestine, which continues through this day.
The late Palestinian President Yassir Arafat also had an influential role in rendering the keffiyeh an everlasting symbol for the Palestinian fight against occupation during the First and Second Intifadas: he would rarely appear in public without putting his hatta and igal on. More than 5 decades ago there were more than 30 Keffiyeh factories operating in Palestine. The General Manager of the factory said they have produced more than 250 styles of keffiyeh, more than 150,000 keffiyehs each year.
The keffiyeh in fashion today is a controversial topic among many people here in Palestine, mainly because of the varied colors used instead of the original black-white and red-white color. Many in the West buy and wear the keffiyeh, transforming it into a fashion trend. In my opinion, I see no harm in the keffiyeh becoming a fashionable accessory. We see that many artists around the world have put on a keffiyeh in music videos and movies, but it's important that you understand the meaning, and inform your friends and family about the symbolism.
In terms of new colors and styles of the keffiyeh, it’s natural for things to develop and have new colors to make it more attractive for others to buy. If the factory refused to manufacture other styles and colors, they wouldn’t sell enough to sustain the business and the factory would shut down its operations. More than 10 families would lose their source of income and Palestine would lose the last factory in the country. I think of Palestinian embroidery, which is constantly developing and adopting new patterns, because it’s natural for art and fashion to develop and take new shapes and forms.
The keffiyeh is a traditional Middle Eastern headdress fashioned from a square meter scarf, usually made of cotton. Some other factories make it with a fabric that is a mix of polyester and cotton or solely polyester. The best quality ones are made from 100% cotton, like the ones made at the factory in Hebron.
Head Ties Around the World
A head tie, also known as a headwrap, is a women's cloth head scarf that is commonly worn in many parts of West Africa and Southern Africa. The head tie is used as an ornamental head covering or fashion accessory, or for functionality in different settings. Its use or meaning can vary depending on the country and/or religion of those who wear it.
Among Jewish women, the Biblical source for covering hair comes from the Torah in the book of Bamidbar Parshas Nasso which contains the source for the obligation of a married woman to cover her hair. An eesha sotah is a woman whose husband suspects her of having acted immorally. The Torah commands the Kohein to take various steps to demonstrate that the sotah has deviated from the modest and loyal path of most married Jewish women (Rashi 5:15-27). Among the procedures, the pasuk clearly states: "ufora es rosh haisha..." and he shall uncover the hair of the head of the woman (5:18).
Gele in Nigeria
In Nigeria, Gele is are Nigerian Yoruba style of headdresses which are elaborate. Although the gele can be worn for day-to-day activities, the more elaborate ceremonial ones are worn to weddings, special events, and church and other religious activities. They are unique to the Yoruba culture. There are different types of Gele, some more flared and others fanlike. Geles are tied around the head in different fabrics, It is usually made of a material that is firmer than regular cloth.
Asooke, Damask, Sego, Brocade, Jawu, Seghosen are materials usually used for Gele, though Adire can be used. A more recent invention available is the option of the Autogele which come pre-made and worn like a hat. When worn, especially for more elaborate events, the gele typically covers a woman's entire hair as well as her ears. The only part exposed is her face and earrings on the lower part of her earlobes. The gele is accompanied by traditional local attire that may or may not have the same pattern as the headtie itself.
Other African Regions
- In Ghana, opportunity to wear a duku usually falls on a religious day of Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
- Senegalese women used to cover their hair and ears in day to day activities or special events such as baptism or wedding ceremonies, or during prayers with colourful headties called Moussor.
- In South Africa and Namibia, the Afrikaans word doek (meaning "cloth") is used for the traditional head covering used among most elderly local women in rural areas.
- Malawian head-ties are usually small and conservative compared to the Nigerian style. Women wear duku at special events like funerals. Urban women with plaited hair also wear a duku when visiting rural areas out of cultural respect.
- In South African church services women may wear white "dukus" to cover their heads.
Some make the historical link of origins to royalty in ancient Egypt, Nubia and West Africa. Hieroglyphic evidence points to Pharaohs who wore headbands or covered their hair with wigs. The divine crowns for royalty and gods were made of cloth and had specific meaning and significance (1). In other parts of Africa hair wigs were made of natural materials such as beads, feathers and plant fibres from the baobab tree.
Here in southern Africa, the name used is influenced by the Afrikaans name for cloth which is “doek”. Although the head-wrao is mostly seen on married and elderly women in rural and some urban settings, it has developed into a popular, ornamental head covering and fashion accessory even among the youth. Its uses and, of course, meanings vary greatly depending on the country and culture of those who wear it.
Some men see head wraps as exclusively for women only, although there do exist other forms of headgear for men. In northern Africa, head ties are worn for day to day activities, elaborate ceremonial occasions and spiritual worship. A renaissance in African pride has seen many of the head ties worn up north being now worn to signify affluence as well as spirituality in black women. These are generally bigger in size and more elaborate in design than the ones worn down here in the south. The ones worn in southern Africa are smaller and much more conservative.
For rural women head wraps are often used as protective clothing to cover hair from dust and dirt while doing chores. Many urban youth associate head ties with a submissiveness which is much frowned upon in contemporary feminist theory; imagery described is homemakers who wear hair rollers or elderly women. Newly married young women in African culture receive head ties (like the sarong) especially from mother-in-laws to denote respect and an achievement of respectable status.
In Africa in general, and universally in some houses of worship, women (for example ZCC) are often required to wear head ties to cover their heads as a sign of respect and humility. As in medieval Europe, in a majority of African communities it is shocking for a grown woman to show her hair. In Arles France, between 1162 and 1202, a law was passed that forbade women of ill-repute to wear head veils, just in case they were mistaken for virtuous women. The public was encouraged to snatch any veils off the heads of suspected immoral women (3).
Traditional Jewish women cover their hair with a tichel or snood. Rastafarians wear turbans over their dreadlocks for protection against the environment, religious purposes and again for respect and humility - as with the Ethiopian Muslim who wears a hijab or khimar. In Christianity there are no direct divine commands for women to cover their heads, however Bible verses can be found that showed a level of modesty and this practice: Genesis 24:65, Numbers 5:18. In the New Testament can be found more direct guidance as to practices to be followed at Corinthians 11:2-16.
Nsibidi Scarf
Draped in luxurious silk, the Nsibidi Scarf by Nouva Africa is more than fashion-it’s a statement of power, heritage, and resilience. Inspired by the ancient Nsibidi script of Nigeria and Cameroon, this scarf tells a story of wisdom, unity, and the strength of women. Every fold, every symbol, every vibrant hue reflects the grace, influence, and perseverance of the African woman. Whether worn as a head wrap, neckpiece, belt, or shawl, it transforms with you empowering, elevating, and celebrating your presence.
This is not just an accessory. It’s a movement. A crown. A legacy. Own the Nsibidi Scarf. Wear history.
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