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Dreadlocks, sometimes called simply dreads, are matted ropes of hair which will form by themselves if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without the use of brushes, combs, razors or scissors for a long period of time. Dreadlocks are a universal phenomenon and through the ages, people of various cultures have worn dreadlocks. It can be said that are known today as "dreadlocks" is one of the oldest and most universal hairstyle known.

History

As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performs the tandava, which is the fierce, violent dance in which the Universe is destroyed. Shiva's long tesses of his matted hair, 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.

The first known images of dreadlocks date back to ancient Egypt, where dreadlocked Egyptian royalty and commoners appear on bas-reliefs, statuary and other artifacts. A dreadlocked wig which belonged to the Pharaoh Tutankhamun of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt is still intact at least to some degree.

The first known written records date back to 2500 BCE, when the dreadlocked Vedic deity Shiva and his followers were reported in the Vedic scriptures of India as "jaTaa", meaning "wearing twisted locks of hair", probably derived from the Dravidian word "caTai", which means to twist or to wrap. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism. They had a vast influence on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism and also influenced the Celtic religion, society and folklore. According to Roman accounts of the time, the Celts wore dreadlocks as well, describing them as having "hair like snakes".

Germanic tribes, the Vikings, the Greeks, the Pacific Ocean peoples, and the Naga people also wore dreadlocks.

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 Amadu Bàmba Mbàkke, are famous for growing dreadlocks and wearing multi-coloured gowns. Cheikh Ibra Fall claims that he was "the first dread in West Africa".

In Jamaica the term dreadlocks was first recorded in the 1950s when the "Young Black Faith", an early sect of the Rastafari which began among the marginalized poor of Jamaica in the 1930s, ceased to copy the particular hair style of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and began to wear dreadlocks instead. Different theories exist about the origin of Rastalocks. Some sources trace them back to Indians who arrived in Jamaica to work as indentured laborers in the late 19th century, some of whom were among the first followers of Leonard Howell. Others believe the first Rasta dreadlocks were derived from the "dreaded locks" of the Mau Mau, the violent, largely Kikuyu protonationalist insurgency against British colonialism in 1940s Kenya. Most Rastafari, however, explain Rastalocks with one of 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 dreadlocks 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 had seven locks and who, according to the scriptures, lost his great strength when they were cut.

Meaning and popularity

There are many reasons among various cultures for wearing dreadlocks. Dreads can be an expression of deep religious or spiritual convictions, a manifestation of ethnic pride, make a political statement, or be simply a fashion preference.

Religious or spiritual convictions

Sadhu with jata (long dreadlocks) twisted in a knot on top of the head

Among the Sadhus and Sadhvis, Indian holy men and women, dreadlocks are sacred, their formation a religious ritual and an expression of their disregard for profane vanity and a manifestation of a spiritual understanding that physical appearances are unimportant. They also represent Shiva's powerful hair with which "he captures and controls the river Ganges, whose torrential descent from the heavens would otherwise have deluged the world." The Shaiva Nagas, ascetics of India, wear their jata (long hair) in a twisted knot or bundle on top of the head and let down their 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.

Dreadlocks in India are reserved nearly exclusively for holy people. According to the 'Hymn of the longhaired sage' in the ancieant 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. The wind-girt sages have donned the yellow robe of dust: along the wind’s course they glide when the gods have penetrated them. Exulting in our seerhood, upon the winds we have ascended.

Similarly, the Rastafari wear dreads as an expression of inner spirituality. For them, the term "dread" refers to a "fear of the Lord", expressed in part as alienation from the perceived decadence and other evils of contemporary society. Another interpretation among the Rastafari is that "dread" refers to the fear dreadlocked Mau Mau warriors inspired among the colonial British.

The Baye Fall wear dreadlocks which are called ndiange or 'strong hair' in imitation of Ibrahima Fall, chief disciple of the spritual guide Shaykh Amadu Bàmba Mbàkke with the goal to cultivate a unique relationship with God through the Shaykh.

In East Asian countries, such as China, dreadlocks and a variation on locks, the Polish plait, initially treated as an amulet supposed to bring good health, have been regarded with superstition throughout the ages.

In popular culture

The rise in popularity of reggae music in the 1980s and the worldwide fame of singer and songwriter Bob Marley prompted an interest dreads internationally. The anti-establishment philosophy of Rastafari, echoed in much of the reggae of the time, had a particular resonance for left-leaning youth of all ethnicities — especially and primarily among African-Americans and other blacks, but among counterculture whites as well. It is among these groups that dreadlocks have become most popular.

File:DreadlockWoman.jpg

Environmental activists with thick dreadlocks

Like the afro, locks also can have social and political implications. For some peoples of African descent, locks are a statement of racial or ethnic pride. Some see them as a repudiation of Eurocentric values represented by straightened that can sometimes assumes a spiritual dimension. Still others wear dreads as a manifestation of their black nationalist or pan-Africanist political beliefs and view locks as symbolic of black unity and power, and a rejection of oppression, racism and imperialism. Some blacks who attach strong racial and political meaning to dreads look upon nonblacks who adopt the style with disfavor, viewing such practice as a form of cultural appropriation.

In white youth counterculture, dreads have become popular among groups such as the "anti-globalisation" movement and environmental activists (such as Swampy, well-known in the 1990s). One issue of SchNEWS, an English environmental action newsletter, described the coming together of striking dockworkers and green protestors as "Docks and dreadlocks come together".[1] Some people also describe them as "neo-hippies." Other Caucasians have cited reasons for adopting dreadlocks to include Celtic or Viking tribal identity, anti-establishment politics and spiritual reasons.

Dreads also can be a means of creative self-expression. For example the members of the Cybergoth movement in Europe feature wildly coloured dread wigs, "dread falls" and elaborate extensions complemented by dramatic make-up.

How to create dreadlocks

Some people groom their locks into relatively uniform size and shape. If not groomed to do so, the hair can grow into locks which are unique in size. If they begin to grow together they may be pulled apart.

For locks of fairly uniform size and shape, those with tightly curled hair may begin the process by sectioning and fashioning it into small braids or tightly twisted tufts. As the hair grows, wayward strands will appear around the sections, which must be twisted regularly to incorporate the new growth into the tufts, which become dreads as they lengthen. With many people of indigenous African descent, this process of acquiring dreadlocks, sometimes called letting the hair "lock", refers to the tightly curled hair naturally turning in on and spiraling around itself.

People with straight, fine, or oily hair, first may have to backcomb, tease, or "rat" their hair. In order to help consolidate the hair into locks, wax is often used. Other means are also employed to more closely approximate the volume, appearance and texture of dreadlocks with hair that is tightly curled. Sometimes wisps of hair are actually sewn in, using thread or wool to wrap the locks, sealing in the shorter hairs. A crochet hook also can be a very useful tool in the creation and tidying up of dreadlocks, twisting sections of hair between the fingers, then hooking and pulling them through the dreadlock. With straight hair, this technique also can be used at the ends of dreadlocks to make them more rounded and prevent them from unraveling. Both curly hair and straight hair can mat and twist into dreadlocks without backcombing or the use of products; however, generally, the curlier the hair, the more easily and quickly the hair will lock naturally.

External links

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 [[Germanic tribes]], the  [[Vikings]], the [[Greeks]], the [[Pacific Ocean]] peoples, and the [[Naga people]] also wore dreadlocks.
-Dreadlocks were also part of [[Mexican culture]]. In a description of an [[Aztec]] ritual, Historian [[William Hickling Prescott]] referred to dreadlocked Priests of the Aztec civilization, a [[Mesoamerican]] people of central [[Mexico]] in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. <blockquote''>"On the summit he was received by six priests, whose long and matted locks flowed disorderly over their sable robes, covered with hieroglyphic scrolls of mystic import. They led him to the sacrificial stone, a huge block of jasper, with its upper surface somewhat convex."'' (William H. Prescott, History of the Conquest of Mexico)</blockquote>
 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 Amadu Bàmba Mbàkke]], are famous for growing dreadlocks and wearing multi-coloured gowns. Cheikh Ibra Fall claims that he was "the first dread in West Africa".