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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Dread Drama - Did Celts And/Or Other White People Historically Wear Their Hair In Dreadlocks?

Edited by Azizi Powell

Update: December 29, 2019 [I added clarifications about the source for these quoted excerpts & comments.]

This pancocojams post presents excerpts and comments from a 2011 [?] non-pancocojams blog post entitled "Dread drama". Participants in that blog discussed whether it is traditional for White people to wear dreadlocks or is that a form of cultural appropriation.

The content of this post is presented for historical, sociological, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/03/white-people-with-dreadlocks-with.html "White People With Dreadlocks (With Special Attention to Ru-Paul Drag Race Contestant Thorgy Thor)" for a related pancocojams on White people wearing dreadlocks.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
These excerpts are numbered for referencing purposes.

Note that some of the posts and comments that are excerpted here contain profanity.

As per the policy of this blog, amended spelling is used for words that are considered profanity.

I think that the blog post entitled "Dread Drama" was first posted by note-a-bear. But I'm not sure about that. Excerpt #1 presents several comments that were published in response to that blog post. Excerpt #2 quotes that blog post and presents other comments, and Excerpt #3 referenced that note-a-bear blog post.

The quotes given in italics below were written that way in those comments. I believe the blogger is quoted more than one other commenter. However, no names were given (that I could find) for those commenters. I think I attributed the right name to the bloggers who are quoting those other commenters. My apologies if I gave the wrong attribution. Additions and corrections are welcome.

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FEATURED EXCERPTS
EXCERPT #1:
From http://note-a-bear.tumblr.com/post/10299295563/dread-drama "Dread drama"; Dumbthingswhitepplsay & other commenters [in italics], September 16, 2011
...."Reblogging because seriously white people. Seriously.
Well, the Celts did have dreadlocks. The Romans reported Celtic warriors as having “hair like snakes,” which has been taken to imply that they had dreadlocks. Its also been recorded that Germanic tribes, Greeks, and Vikings often wore dreadlocks as all. So as far as historically speaking, there is plenty of precedent for white people having dreads. Its also considered to have Biblical origins, with Delilah cutting off Samson’s “seven locks.”

So I’m going to say, yeah, its not appropriative for white people to have dreads. My ethnic ancestory is Celtic/Viking, both of which have been recorded as historically having dreads. I would never get dreads, but still.

The earliest recording, I believe, is Egypt where dreads are seen in hieroglyphs.

As for the entire rest of “Rafiki’s” post (spiritual name? wtf?), I’m not even going to touch that. As someone with Scottish ancestry who’s Scottish relatives came to the US and worked their asses off, I’m not sure what the hell this Scottish people being lazy bullsh&t* is.

this was the wrong conversation to butt in the middle of if you are white

Couple things: Samson and Delilah probably weren’t “white” as the ideology exists today…and neither were the Egyptians (people from Kemet…”land of the blacks”.) So…maybe those two groups shouldn’t be used to bolster your point?



I tried real hard not to butt in on this, but I ahve [sic] to say:

Germanic, Gallic, and Celtic hairstyles, prior to Roman Conquest, and subsequent Anglo-/Germanic empire-building were absolutely not dreadlocks as we speak of them.

What I will concede to is that there were traditions of matting, plaiting, and braiding hair. The Roman references to “hair like snakes” could just as easily be speaking to long hair, since, as an essentially Mediterranean nation, Rome generally ascribed to short hair for those citizens in power. The military (through which nearly every Roman-born citizen and sub-citizen had to pass upon achieving adulthood) required short hair. Short hair was considered the standard for Romans.

Having gotten that out of the way, we can move on to what they would have seen from almost every non-Roman/non-warm weather nation they came across: Long, matted, braided, or otherwise “unkempt” hair by their standards. Hence, “hair of snakes.” Never mind that if you look at the other big Greco-Roman reference to “hair of snakes” (Medusa), archaeologists and anthropologists have ascribed that hair to the what would be considered, by our standards, mussed, dirtied, or generally “unrefined” hairstyles.

So, that brings us back to the Gauls, the Celts, the Saxons, the (Visi-, Ostro-) Goths, the Vandals, the Angles, and just about everyone North of what is now Italy. All those tribes had traditions of plaiting hair. They also, did not have the same traditions of cutting hair that the Romans did.

That is the only conceit I will give in this matter of dreadlocks.

Also, let’s be real, the Romans were notoriously unreliable observers when it came to the people north of contemporary Italy. Half of their references to the people of the North were to call them “Black” or some variation thereof.

So, y'know, don’t use the Romans to bolster your argument, in general."

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EXCERPT #2
From http://marzipanandminutiae.tumblr.com/post/147900986482/dread-drama (via theroguefeminist), [two commenters, screen names ?]
"I normally don’t bother putting my two cents in about dreadlocks (as a white girl I don’t really think its my place) but I do know a few things about celtic ‘dreadlocks,’ which is why I get annoyed when people of celtic decent use their heritage to justify having dreadlocks.

For one thing they weren’t even called dreadlocks they’re gleebs, I think the term dreadlock in itself is an appropriated term. Another thing is they weren’t made like any of the modern dreadlocks we see today. They were most commonly worn by warriors going into battle who would matt their hair and then cake it with mud/clay to make intimidating shapes to scare their enemies. This could therefore mean they were more like punk spikes than dreadlocks. Some however did just cake their matts with mud and leave them down so they could look a bit like modern dreadlocks. But it could be argued unless you cake your hair with mud you can’t use being a celt to justify having dreadlocks. Some people think the celts had matted hair because they were barbarians who never washed or brushed their hair which could be equally true, and some white people do make dreadlocks this way. But that is disgusting in my opinion and it is part of the reason dreadlocks have such a bad reputation, so if you have hair like that I suggest you just call it matted and not dreadlocked.

I will admit that there was a form of gleeb worn by the wealthier celts which may seem more appealing. They would have twisted their hair and tied pretty yarns around it, similar to a lot of white people with dreadlocks today. However these were not matted they were twists, perhaps they were similar to the twist and pull dreadlock making method but the structure of them were different. I’ve experimented with this form of gleeb on my hair, which is very stereotypical celtic hair (think Merida in Brave) and the twists do stay in due to the curl and dryness of my hair. However when I tried it on my sister who has only a gentle wave it was impossible, her hair was far too fine and slippy. They can be brushed out but I was also able to wash my hair and they remained intact when I did not use conditioner in the areas with gleebs I just had to tidy them a bit. I only kept them in for a month so perhaps over time the feel of them would have changed to a more dreadlock type form but they did look more like twists than dreadlocks.

In my opinion you shouldn’t use being celtic as an excuse to have dreadlocks. Celtic gleebs were a different thing and anyone uses being celtic as an excuse they should do their research into it first and know not to call them dreadlocks. It is very difficult to find any references for gleebs, I came across it in obscure texts in my university library whilst researching ancient irish textiles and was interested so I looked into it a bit more. As it is written about in so few places and they often refer to the same clans, I assume only a few clans actually wore gleebs, perhaps all these clans had very curly hair like mines making it possible to make gleebs.

Have I ever mentioned how relieved I am when I check the notes on something and find actual, useful commentary from white folks?

If I haven’t I’m saying it now


The main tradition of hair-matting in Europe closer to the modern era was the Polish plait.

Which is, basically, a giant matted mass of hair maintained with wax or water in which certain herbs had been steeped. Early in their popularity, they were believed to act as amulets that drew illness away from the body. There were categories and styling techniques, but outside eastern Europe, they were viewed largely with disgust. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they developed an alternate name: Jewish plaits. Anti-Semitism ahoy!

There were beliefs that the plaits were caused by a disease; in the 19th century it was said to be spread in false hairpieces from Poland. One “scientist” even theorized that wearing Polish folk costume would cause a person to develop severly matted hair.

Most of the negative reaction was ethnic prejudice, but some of it was warranted. Polish plaits allegedly don’t smell very good and can contain skin flakes, scalp oils, and sometimes even dried blood. They’re also often moist and sticky to the touch.

I can’t think why anyone would want to have that hairstyle, but if you’re a white person and you want to hair-mat, guess what? That’s the proper term for and history of the result you’ll get. It is not the same as dreadlocks and it has its own issues so you should really do proper research on Polish plaits (also called elflocks, from the belief that curses or malevolent spirits caused them) if you really must mat your hair.

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EXCERPT #3
From http://becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys.tumblr.com/post/72685531990/but-the-celts-wore-dreadlockstattoosbody “BUT THE CELTS WORE DREADLOCKS/TATTOOS/BODY MODS!!!11!!1”
Reblogged 2 years ago from sonnetscrewdriver (originally from so-treu), retrieved September 28, 2016
...."CELTIC DREADLOCKS.....
"first off, note-a-bear has a great post on how those dreadlocks that the Celts were supposedly wearing actually weren’t dreadlocks as we define them today. that’s when sh&t like historical context and knowing of what the f&&k you speak come into play...

i always think about Woodstock. like, if white folks were ever going to support dreadlocks en masse, *that* would be the time you’d see it. but you don’t. at. all.

you know when you do see white ppl starting to rock dreads, tho? after Bob Marley became an international mega superstar. but it’s not appropriation. right.

seriously, if you can find me a picture of a group of white people (from either the U.S. or Europe) wearing dreadlocks *before 1965ish*, and they *weren’t* consciously setting themselves off from the mainstream in some way (i.e. a religious cult or something) but wearing them as a cultural expression of their own culture, you win. you win everything, actually. because i’m pretty sure you’re not going to find it.

but don’t worry. i’ll wait.

ETA: i guess maybe the vikings had “dreads” too? even still, two(ish) ethnic groups a continental/racial tradition do not make. see: the rest of my post.

I’ve never come across any contemporary sources that describe Celtic hairstyles in terms of what we would understand to be dreadlocks. The descriptions I’ve read pretty much just describe them as braids or pigtails, thereby creating the lovely image of a heavily-armed hulk with a beard like a bramble patch sporting the kind of hairdo most of us would identify with schoolgirls. Same goes for the Norse. I would be very suspicious of anyone trying to claim there was a white tradition that incorporated anything like dreadlocks. Outside of Africa and places that have a large concentration of people with African heritage, the only traditions I know of that incorporate anything vaguely similar are Hinduism and some of Aztecs’ priesthood. Though I did read in an article on modern Buddhism that some Tibetan monks are now apparently favouring dreadlocks over the more traditional shaved head.

The only European thing I can think of is what’s called a Polish plait, but that doesn’t look so much like dreadlocks as it does a hairy loaf of bread....

OH CHRIST WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL DOING THE “CELTIC DREADLOCKS” THING SIT DOWN AND LISTEN YOU BASTARDS

What this refers to is the IRISH - not pan-Celtic - practice of wearing their hair long at the front and short at the back, with the front part comprising of a matted lock of hair called a ‘glibbe’. And this practice is first referenced in 1596, in Spenser’s View of Ireland. So let’s just start with re-affirming the already-stated point: THIS IS NOT CELTIC. IT IS SPECIFICALLY MEDIEVAL IRISH. So if you’re claiming the ethnic right to wear dreads because you’re descended from Celts, unless you are referring to specifically people from Medieval Ireland, NO.

Now, allegedly, the Irish wore glibbes because the matting of the hair was so think [sic “thick”] they felt it basically functioned as a helmet. Quoth Spenser:

“their going to battle without Armour on their Bodies or Heads, but
trusting to the Thickness of their Glibbs, the which (they say) will
Sometimes bear off a good stroke”

Furthermore, the outraged Spenser alleged, the glibbes were “fit Marks as a Mantle is for a Thief”, because the Irish could simply push the glibbes back or pull them low over the eyes and so change their appearance totally in one second, thus allowing them to evade the law. This does, however, give us a pretty good idea as to style. This means if you want to wear traditional Irish glibbes, there’s the style to do it in. If you’re just wearing long dreadlocks like Bob Marley, NO.

And to be honest, the jury is still a little bit out on whether or not glibbes were specifically matted hair, or if Spenser the Racist Englishman was just trying to mock the Irish for having curly red hair that was therefore quite thick. It was probably matted, because he also goes on to lament English people appropriating the hairstyle.

But otherwise, all Celtic hair traditions revolved strongly around plaiting styles, and most likely that’s what the Romans’ 'snake-like hair’ comment refers to, which is the other bit of 'evidence’ people like to try and cite. So yeah - if you want to have matted hair because of Cultural Reasons of Being Celtic, then first of all, you’re going to need to be descended from a very specific Celtic grouping, and secondly, you’re going to need to grow an extremely specific style. Otherwise, NO. You are just doing cultural appropriation.”...

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44 comments:

  1. Here's another quote that comes up a lot in Google search re: the subject of "Celtic dreadlocks":
    [written in] "1749 [by] William Collins Ode on the Popular Superstitions of the Highlands of Scotland (but not published until 1788)
    ...Old Runic Bards shall seem to rise around,
    With uncouth Lyres, in many-colour'd Vest,
    Their Matted Hair with boughs fantastic crown'd" […]"
    -snip-
    One book that this verse is found in is Celticism [published in 1996, written by Terrence Brownan, Page 109], https://books.google.com/books?isbn=9051839987.

    ReplyDelete
  2. White people in Britain I think only adopted dreads out of admiration for the Rastafarian lifestyle (okay, mainly the reggae and pot-smoking aspects) and as tribute to Bob Marley perhaps. You mostly see them on musicians, especially ones into reggae, or young people who follow a non-mainstream lifestyle, e.g.

    White reggae musicians

    It usually isn't considered appropriation though, because no-one here pretends it's other than a Rasta style. People can be influenced without appropriating. But I never heard anyone suggest it isn't originally a Rastafarian/West Indian thing, or talk about ancient Celts.

    I do think though that the Indian Sadhu tradition is quite separate, and not influenced by Caribbean/African styles.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks for your comment, slam2011.

      And thanks for the hyperlink :o)

      Here's a definition of "cultural appropriation" from http://racerelations.about.com/od/diversitymatters/fl/What-Is-Cultural-Appropriation-and-Why-Is-It-Wrong.htm
      "cultural appropriation typically involves members of a dominant group exploiting the culture of less privileged groups — often with little understanding of the latter’s history, experience and traditions.".
      -snip-
      According to that definition, White people in Britain or wherever who wear their hair in dreadlocks would be considered to be culturally appropriating that dreadlock hair style.

      I'm not certain though that cultural appropriation is always harmful, particularly if it isn't a sacred custom and if the person doing so acknowledges the culture that that tradition comes from and learns about that culture.

      Here's information about Sadhu's from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadhu.
      "In Hinduism, a sādhu (Sanskrit sādhu, "good; good man, holy man") is a religious ascetic or holy person...This way of life is open to women; the female form of the word is sādhvī...

      There are naked (digambara, or "sky-clad") sadhus who wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Aghori sadhus may claim to keep company with ghosts and live in cemeteries as part of their holy path. Indian culture tends to emphasise an infinite number of paths to God, such that sadhus, and the varieties of tradition they continue, have their place.
      A popular characteristic of Sadhu ritualism is their utilisation of cannabis (known as charas) as a form of sacrament in line with their worship of Shiva who was believed to have an adoration or affinity for the leaves of the plant.[5] The plant is widely used during the celebration of Maha Shivaratri."...

      Delete
    2. I guess we both know that this cultural appropriation thing is mostly used to bully people.
      I for myself love dreadlocks, i simply don't give a damn if anyone gets offended about me having them.
      I also don't care if the gaulish (which are my ancestors) had dreads too or not, i simply like to have them.
      How weak would a person have to be in order to lose their sh*t over someone elses hairs?
      Sorry, not sorry...

      Delete
    3. I appreciate your comment Unknown.

      Thanks for taking the time to share it.

      Delete
  3. Here's a link to a 16th C. woodcut showing Irish soldiers wearing 'glibs'. There is a faintly dreddish look to the glib, but clearly they were only worn at the front of the head, as a fringe.

    Irish 'glib' style

    ReplyDelete
  4. Okay, I'm getting obsessed now. Here's a link to a later (1581) woodcut showing Irish soldiers with 'glibs' all over the head. A bit better. Still, not that long really...I remember an Elizabethan writer (English, C.1593) being scolded for wearing his hair long and unkempt: "Irish hair" his enemies called it.

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks, slam2011!

      And to think, I spent all of my life until a couple of days ago without knowing anything about "glibs". :o)

      Delete
  6. Me too. Although to be honest, I don't think it's a word I'll be throwing into the conversation much in future...

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  7. Don't we all come from Africa anyway?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, and some populations remained in Africa longer than others.

      One love!

      Delete
  8. The problem is.. people think you have to justify a hair cut.

    Guess what?

    YOU DON'T GET OVER YOUR SELVES.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you...I plan to get a couple dreads, I’m a 54 year old white woman that plans to rock my dreads! Do you all honestly believe that the African-Americans of today with dreads really wear them because of what they “stand for?” NO they wear them because it’s easier to take care of, they look good one them...not because the meaning behind them, I would say for the most part..

      Delete
    2. Thanks for your comment, Little Lisa.

      I published this post to explore the custom of dreads throughout the world and not only among Rastas.

      I don't take any position about whether individuals of whatever race or ethnicity or religion can or can't or should or shouldn't wear their hair the way that they want to.

      Best wishes!

      Delete
    3. I'm of Celtic ancestry Little Lisa and you hereby have my permission to wear dreads, if my 2000 years of history isn't good enough I'll have to get you in touch with a Hindu who has more like 6000 years of history regarding the hairstyle.

      I'll send you my "you are allowed to wear dreads" card, not that you need it but seeing how ignorant some of these people can't hurt.

      Delete
  9. I strongly believe in reincarnation, that we have lived many past cultures in our soul's journey so if a person really relates to having dreads and they are white or any race for that matter so be it! You are not one to judge who they have been in their past lives and why they feel a strong soul connection to it or with any type of cultural they may wish to partake in! I do understand getting upset over using a culture for fashion and fad reasons and also seen in every race. If you want to talk about ancient Europe and their culture, we don't even have all the answers or evidence of how most cultures lived, like The Druids, they were very secretive and to make sure their lifestyle and belief were not written down but only handed down vocally resulting in a lot of lost historical facts. There is also evidence of pre-Christian Hinduism infiltrating parts of Europe and influence a lot of the European paganism which is why both paganism and Hinduism are a recognized alliance, therefore, the spiritual meaning of having dreadlocks from the Hindus could have been passed on to Europeans is highly likable. Also new evidence of ancient Egyptians living in ancient Ireland, the point is we are ALL humans with connections. I view our space as our planet of brothers and sisters NOT divided by geographical location, race or culture. Please stop destroying it by constantly trying to divide humans as apparent in this article and replies.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anonymous, the purpose of this blog is to share information and examples of African American and other Black African Diaspora cultures throughout the world.

      I don't believe this is dividing people.

      As part of this purpose of this blog, I've shared information about dread hairstyles, along with information and examples of that hairstyle from other cultures.

      Regarding this specific subject, for the record, I don't believe that it is wrong for people who are non-Black to wear their hair in dread, particularly since this hairstyle is found historically in non-Black cultures. That said, I do believe that different cultures such as Rastas consider dreads to be more than a hairstyle.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous, October 7, 2018 at 4:11 PM

      I also meant to say that I also strongly believe in reincarnation. As such, while I am Black and female in this life I may have been a different race and gender in other lifes.

      One love!

      Delete
  10. *sigh* Stupid argument gets a stupid comment-. Righto- no afro wearer, from today onwards, can use a hair straightener. *Sorted*

    ReplyDelete
  11. Many older cultures wore long hair, the Roman's did not describe them as having "hair like snakes" the argument made here is incredibly ignorant, and you didn't even bother doing your research, as statues of Hindu gods were the earliest recorded representation of dreads, NOT egypt.

    You drone on about racism when it's pretty clear you are just as racist as those you speak out against. Imagine a white person telling a black person they can't wear their hair straight, or drive cars, or wear blue jeans...its moronic. If you want to take this BS "cultural appropriation" stance you need to opt out of society because society is literally built upon the the sharing of ideas. Your world would look a lot different if you opted out of everything that every other race ever invented, hell you wouldn't even be allowed to hitch a ride over to Africa without using a plane (white) or a boat (asian)

    Imagine the early days of colonialism...
    Paul Revere "I have to get on my horse to warn them about the british!"
    You: "No you can't do that! Khazakstan learned how to ride horses before us we better walk!"

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    1. Thanks for your comment, anonymous Oct. 27, 2019

      Let me clarify that this post presented comments/opinions from another online site and aren't my comments.

      I don't have any problem with people of any race/ethnicity wearing dreads. To quote part of what I wrote more than one year ago (October 7, 2018) in response to another comment:

      "Regarding this specific subject, for the record, I don't believe that it is wrong for people who are non-Black to wear their hair in dread, particularly since this hairstyle is found historically in non-Black cultures. That said, I do believe that different cultures such as Rastas consider dreads to be more than a hairstyle."

      Delete
    2. I meant to write that this post presented comments/opinions from several online site.

      Also, the purpose of the post was to share information that although dreads are most often associated with Jamaican Rastas now, that hair style was historically worn by some non-Black people.

      Delete
  12. The fact that people want natural hairstyles normalized and accepted, yet also want to criticize people who wear them, is insane, self-isolating and counterproductive; especially given the mental gymnastics required to say every single instance of non-Black locs throughout history aren't the "real" kind, they're the "bad" kind, so people with no Black heritage aren't allowed to have them. This is like saying Black people shouldn't be allowed to wear mohawks because they're appropriated from indigenous peoples that remain to be neglected and abused by governments, arguably more than any other culture today. Fools.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown, read my comment dated October 27, 2019 at 7:53 PM.

      Delete
  13. This is a very informative post, thank you for remaining non-biased, Azizi Powell. It's especially refreshing coming from a black woman. I have been told white people with dreads is cultural appropriation, but so far only from white people. Which I feel is victimizing someone, then stepping in and saving them all in one swoop. Honestly, even the Wikipedia article in the topic is more biased (no surprise there I guess). I have "matted" hair myself, and I never really cared to research the subject till now. I'm not that in to reagae music, but I love bob Marley. The first several "mattes" came in while on a long hitchhiking trip and I just separated them and the rest is history. Never gave it too much thought. Other people think about it alot more than I do apparently. Again, mostly white people. I've had alot more ultra-enthusiastic positive comments from black folks I've encountered. They're not even well maintained.. they're clean, but messy and not fully locked. I don't plan on cutting them any time soon. And, I don't need your permission, but it's nice to see the some info regarding the small amount of historic cultural references of Irish glibbs in one place, 'cause I'm Irish. That is not my excuse 'cause i dont need one. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who doesnt like Bob marley? Btw, i dont smoke bud, but i support it. I dont let my hair lock yo because of pot or music.

      Delete
  14. I live in pennsylvania too... Herr in philly i interact with more Black people than white people. Never have i been made to feel like an oppressor that is robbing a Culture of their traditions over my hair. Definitely The opposite, ive been asked for advise and how much i would charge to do someone's locks (afro-hair can be alot of work and i am not qualified) its nice, really. Mostly, The negative shit comes from people who hate "hippies". Which i do noy identify myself as. (I am The unknown who commented above)

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  15. Its also cool seeing other examples of straight hair worn intentionally dreaded in native American and hindu Culturel. (See above)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Unknown.

      And you're welcome. I'm glad that you realized from my writing that I wasn't criticizing non-Black people for wearing their hair in dreads. How a grown person wears his or her hair is their own choice.

      As you wrote, I just wanted to add some historical/cultural information in one post.

      Peace & Love and stay safe during these crazy times.

      Delete
  16. Hair is very personal. There are many white people with thick, coarse, hard to manage hair. There are spiritual reasons, ancestral reasons, etc. for choosing to dread their hair. No one should tell another what to do with the hair on their head. If cultural appropriation is truly honored, I suppose that all kinky haired women sleeking and straightening their hair is cultural appropriation as well. Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? Leave it alone. Stop shouting "cultural appropriation" at everything under the Sun. With DNA now coming into play more readily, many of us are now finding that we are ALL mixed very well with many cultures. Cultural appreciation is NOT cultural appropriation.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Anonymous and I agree with most of your points except that

      - you are mistaken if you concluded from this post that I think that it is cultural appropriation for non-Black people to wear their hair in dreds.

      and

      -I believe that cultural appreciation sometimes might be cultural appropriation.

      Delete
  17. Just chiming in to say that "the Celts were barbarians and so never combed their hair" is extremely false. Hair was considered sacred to the Celts, combs were carried 24/7 some Celts were even buried with combs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown, thanks for sharing that information.

      I appreciate it.

      Delete
  18. I tried to look up a hairstyle seen in a video game and fell into this fascinating rabbit hole. Personally, i believe this discussion has so many layers, and that there are no simple answers.

    I agree, that anyone saying, Vikings (or some other European culture) had 'dreadlocks' seems a bit out of touch. Even if this would be true, the argument would fail, since 'Viking dreadlocks' weren't a continuous hairstyle worn by Europeans. However, always claiming it's "cultural appropriation" if a white person uses a traditionally African hairstyle is not fully correct either.

    E.g. if a white person wears bantu knots, it's just a personal choice. It's maybe cringy, but in my opinion not harmful. If they call it 'buns' it becomes cultural appropriation. Or worse, if a famous white person uses it, and gets credited it for.

    And yes, i'm aware, that people of colour face racism everyday. Not only, but also if they choose to wear traditional hairstyles. [Calling these magnificent creations "unprofessional" is totally beyond my understanding]. And i also understand, that a white person wouldn't face such issues. However, this is the problem of racism, and not of cultural appropriation.

    Gatekeeping a hairstyle won't change this. And yes, there are more layers to this. Everybody should be aware of the imbalance of power and historical context. E.g. I would never say a person of colour calling a white person 'cracker' is in the same league, as a white person saying the N-word. One thing is a funny nothing burger, the other a racist remark.

    But we have a clear indication why. Not only was the one word used by oppressors, it was also screamed while slaughtering oppressed people. And this is the line, that can't be crossed. And exactly for this reason, not every hairstyle is just a hairstyle. Especially, dreadlocks come with a heavy 'historical baggage'.

    On the other hand, not every person of colour, with dreadlocks, identifies with the Rastafarian movement, nor with the activists of the black power movement. So at the end, I agree, that everybody just has to decide for themselves.

    anyways ... thanks for the interesting blog.

    a few remarks regarding European hairstyles though. Neither Vikings, Germans, nor Celts were a single tribe. There were many cultures and hairstyles over a span of time. Long hair with knots and beads existed. Also braided hair in various styles. And while there was nothing like 'dreadlocks', it's likely, that there were 'dreaded locks'. I believe not only the Celts bleached their hair (and changed the structure of it) with lime. So i understand there's room for 'interpretation'.

    tl;dr: Europeans didn't have dreadlocks, and white people prolly should read a lot, before they decide to wear them.

















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    1. Anonymous, I agree that the history and current custom of White and other non-Black people wearing their hair in dreadloc like styles and other styles that are mostly associated with Black people is a complicated subject.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this.

      Delete
  19. I find it fundamentally disturbing to tell people what to wear or how to look. All the other problems with cultural appropriation have lower priority for me, compared to this. You do not tell people how to look. Neither one way nor the other. Maximize freedom and tolerance.

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  20. Thanks for your comment, Anonymous.

    I agree what you wrote.

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  21. The beautiful thing about cultures and religions is they can be loved and shared and ADOPTED by anyone. Deciding that CULTURES can be appropriated means you believe your culture is so exclusive it rejects a small population of the world. White people are less than 15% of the world population. If a white woman from America with Irish/ germanic roots wants dreads because she has just awakened to spirituality and is expressing herself in every way possible, is NOT appropriation and it is extremely selfish for anyone who calls her down for it. Holding on to cultures as though YOU own them is sad and selfish. The world is getting sick and tired of being constantly bombarded with the pressures of being unable to cross lines and desegregate our appreciation of hairstyles, clothes, music, food, and celebration of holidays. In the last century it was physical desegregation. Now we must fight MENTAL desegregation. It is OKAY for white people to enjoy the cultures of other people.

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    1. Anonymous, thanks for sharing your opinion on this subject.

      Delete
  22. You can't appropriate nature. Anyone who thinks dreadlocks are cultural appropriation doesn't understand what natural dreadlocks are to begin with. I'm not talking about the hairstyle - the hairstyle where you go and have a hair stylist make your dreadlocks for you into these perfect little dreads could be considered cultural appropriation. Dreadlocks are how everyone's hair grows naturally when you surrender yourself to nature - meaning you don't do anything to your hair. It's NOT a hairstyle. No one has to have even been exposed to anyone else's culture to come to the realization within themselves through inner guidance that that's what they wanted to do. That's what happened to me when I was 18 years old. I never even saw a black person with natural dreadlocks before. I saw the trees, the ones that were cut and the ones that were allowed to grow. To me, that was beauty. I was married into a black family at 16 years old and no one had dreadlocks. Everyone had short hair. I had zero influence from the black community when I decided to grow my dreadlocks. This was before many people used the Internet, so I had no exposure. No one started calling it cultural appropriation until recently. It used to be that seeing someone else with dreadlocks made you smile and immediately know you were coming across someone else with like-minded values. Now, people are spreading hate and division, and misunderstanding each other, and using it as a reason to puff up their own egos and think they know better than someone else. Cultural appropriation is when you take something from another culture. Your hair grows out of your own head. Who is there to dictate what you do with your own body according to your own beliefs, values, knowledge, and the wisdom our Source of Life reveals to each one of us within? Aint' happenin'. Also, archeological digs have shown that Celtic Druids, among others, did have actual dreadlocks, or whatever it is you want to call them - NOT just braided hair. I actually do come from my Celtic Druid ancestors whose later families migrated to the US and married a lot of Cherokee that they helped hide out in the woods to avoid going on the Trail of Tears - which later became the Whitetop Laurel Band of Cherokee. The genetics of my hair comes from my Celtic Druid ancestors who had dreadlocks for so many generations that we evolved to accommodate them. I had dreadlocks for 18 years of my life, and they never grew past the middle of my back. This is in contrast to others with different genetics I've known who grow theirs for 4 years and they are so long and heavy that they start having neck problems. I could have dreads for 80 years and never have neck problems. I have the stories of those ancestors passed down to me by elders in my family; stories that are unbelievable, yet many in my family have witnessed themselves. No one is hurting anyone by having dreadlocks. It's not disrespectful or cultural appropriation at all because you're not taking from another culture just to be your God-given natural self. Next thing you're going to tell me is that white people can only use synthetic products and don't have the right to use natural products, right? As ridiculous as that sounds, it's pretty much the same thing. Now, if it were to come to Native headdresses, or other similar things, for example, those were actually created by the culture themselves. Using those and such definitely IS cultural appropriation because it's something that culture made. God made my hair and if I deem that it's important for me to live my life in a way that's as close to God as possible and I want to go through the growth and development that comes with resisting the urge to shape and form yourself into society's standards, then that's my right; that's anyone's right, and you are NOT stealing from anyone else just to be your own natural self.

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    1. Anonymous, for some reason I didn't read any notice that you had written this comment in May.

      While I appreciate your comment, my policy is not to respond to any more comments about this subject on this blog.

      Delete
  23. Well if the original person wearing dreads didn’t like them being “appropriated”, they should have done something about Joe blow biting their style. I find it funny certain people cry “appropriation” every time someone likes something that someone else holds dear. You would think they would appreciate the fact someone else likes it. Not crying about it.

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    1. Anonymous, I appreciate your comment.

      My policy is not to respond to any more comments about this subject on this blog.

      Delete