First Edition, tri-lingual, English / German / Afrikaans, hardcover, published by Gamsberg Uitgewers, Windhoek, 1981, illustrated, landscape format, 110 pages, some edgeware to dustjacket otherwise condition: very good.
Hair played a significant role in the culture of ancient African civilizations. It symbolized ones family background, social status, spirituality, tribe, and marital status.
As early as the 15th century, different tribes used hair to show ones social hierarchy. Members of royalty wore elaborate hairstyles as a symbol of their stature.
Hair was also a symbol of fertility. If a persons hair was thick, long, and neat, it symbolized that one was able to bear healthy children. If someone were in mourning, they would pay very little attention to their hair. With hair being an elevated part of ones body, ancient communities believed that it helped with divine communication. This belief is the reason styling was entrusted to close relatives. People thought that if a strand of hair fell into the hands of an enemy, harm could come to the hairs owner.
Hair was a prominent social activity, especially among women. People had the opportunity to socialize while styling each others hair. The communal tradition of hair still exists today.
Dreadlocks from the Himba tribe of Northwestern Namibia
For the Himba tribe, hair indicates ones age, life stage, and marital status. The tribe lives in the northwestern region of Namibia.Tribe members use a mixture of ground ochre, goat hair, and butter to create their dreadlocks. They also include hair extensions when weaving their dreadlocks.
Teenage girls wear braid strands or dreadlocked hair that hangs over their faces. Doing this symbolizes that theyve entered into puberty.
Unmarried men wear a single braid to show their status. Once they get married, they cover their heads never to unveil them in public again. They remove their head covering at funerals only.d women and new mothers wear Erembe headdresses made from animal skin. Young women who are ready for marriage tie their dreadlocks to reveal their faces.
