tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post1942192226648221401..comments2024-03-18T22:19:48.398-04:00Comments on pancocojams: Dread Drama - Did Celts And/Or Other White People Historically Wear Their Hair In Dreadlocks?Azizi Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-77982168926584527162023-08-15T08:29:39.140-04:002023-08-15T08:29:39.140-04:00Anonymous, I appreciate your comment.
My policy i...Anonymous, I appreciate your comment.<br /><br />My policy is not to respond to any more comments about this subject on this blog.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-70168883220302842982023-08-15T08:28:29.761-04:002023-08-15T08:28:29.761-04:00Anonymous, for some reason I didn't read any n...Anonymous, for some reason I didn't read any notice that you had written this comment in May.<br /><br />While I appreciate your comment, my policy is not to respond to any more comments about this subject on this blog.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-8391997173547580342023-08-15T01:58:41.614-04:002023-08-15T01:58:41.614-04:00Well if the original person wearing dreads didn’t ...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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-72759240431856068442023-05-29T03:29:26.244-04:002023-05-29T03:29:26.244-04:00You can't appropriate nature. Anyone who think...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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-74212700103529056412022-09-06T08:02:39.196-04:002022-09-06T08:02:39.196-04:00Anonymous, thanks for sharing your opinion on this...Anonymous, thanks for sharing your opinion on this subject.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-102688776074902182022-09-04T21:57:36.740-04:002022-09-04T21:57:36.740-04:00The beautiful thing about cultures and religions i...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. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-18153065778387560642022-03-27T15:31:52.990-04:002022-03-27T15:31:52.990-04:00Thanks for your comment, Anonymous.
I agree what ...Thanks for your comment, Anonymous.<br /><br />I agree what you wrote.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-23920660953536968452022-03-27T12:19:38.917-04:002022-03-27T12:19:38.917-04:00I find it fundamentally disturbing to tell people ...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-59662018173172984232022-02-06T05:41:45.238-05:002022-02-06T05:41:45.238-05:00Anonymous, I agree that the history and current cu...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.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-60061600005325336562022-02-05T17:51:42.418-05:002022-02-05T17:51:42.418-05:00I tried to look up a hairstyle seen in a video gam...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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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'.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />anyways ... thanks for the interesting blog.<br /><br />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'.<br /><br />tl;dr: Europeans didn't have dreadlocks, and white people prolly should read a lot, before they decide to wear them.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-42070647403193164402021-05-23T21:43:07.594-04:002021-05-23T21:43:07.594-04:00Unknown, thanks for sharing that information.
I a...Unknown, thanks for sharing that information.<br /><br />I appreciate it.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-54428223804431587202021-05-23T16:20:17.589-04:002021-05-23T16:20:17.589-04:00Just chiming in to say that "the Celts were b...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. CelticWarriorQueenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01755690233886875135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-34349606942840314622020-10-06T20:30:50.059-04:002020-10-06T20:30:50.059-04:00Thanks for your comments, Anonymous and I agree wi...Thanks for your comments, Anonymous and I agree with most of your points except that<br /><br />- 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.<br /><br />and<br /><br />-I believe that cultural appreciation sometimes might be cultural appropriation.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-25430915187407563392020-10-06T16:40:04.963-04:002020-10-06T16:40:04.963-04:00Hair is very personal. There are many white people...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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-89119186946978680412020-08-31T10:19:21.974-04:002020-08-31T10:19:21.974-04:00Thanks for your comments, Unknown.
And you're...Thanks for your comments, Unknown.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />As you wrote, I just wanted to add some historical/cultural information in one post. <br /><br />Peace & Love and stay safe during these crazy times.<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-59280663148810406932020-08-31T09:34:30.663-04:002020-08-31T09:34:30.663-04:00Its also cool seeing other examples of straight ha...Its also cool seeing other examples of straight hair worn intentionally dreaded in native American and hindu Culturel. (See above)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987420985074915265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-80992434840896314272020-08-31T09:32:05.411-04:002020-08-31T09:32:05.411-04:00I live in pennsylvania too... Herr in philly i int...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)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987420985074915265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-20583293212594912032020-08-31T09:22:25.016-04:002020-08-31T09:22:25.016-04:00Who doesnt like Bob marley? Btw, i dont smoke bud...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.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987420985074915265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-29889881816845920922020-08-31T09:19:31.112-04:002020-08-31T09:19:31.112-04:00This is a very informative post, thank you for rem...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.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987420985074915265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-83018795022851199512019-11-07T07:53:44.310-05:002019-11-07T07:53:44.310-05:00Unknown, read my comment dated October 27, 2019 at...Unknown, read my comment dated October 27, 2019 at 7:53 PM.<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-13746127578434050312019-11-07T03:34:54.384-05:002019-11-07T03:34:54.384-05:00The fact that people want natural hairstyles norma...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. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08752252754852211053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-11786567280733580832019-10-27T19:53:15.415-04:002019-10-27T19:53:15.415-04:00I meant to write that this post presented comments...I meant to write that this post presented comments/opinions from several online site. <br /><br />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.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-32204101464698724972019-10-27T19:50:33.285-04:002019-10-27T19:50:33.285-04:00Thanks for your comment, anonymous Oct. 27, 2019
...Thanks for your comment, anonymous Oct. 27, 2019<br /><br />Let me clarify that this post presented comments/opinions from another online site and aren't my comments.<br /><br />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:<br /><br />"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."Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-29571699046916479702019-10-27T19:48:53.542-04:002019-10-27T19:48:53.542-04:00I'm of Celtic ancestry Little Lisa and you her...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.<br /><br />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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-19226717502391581292019-10-27T19:45:07.554-04:002019-10-27T19:45:07.554-04:00Many older cultures wore long hair, the Roman'...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. <br /><br />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) <br /><br />Imagine the early days of colonialism...<br />Paul Revere "I have to get on my horse to warn them about the british!"<br />You: "No you can't do that! Khazakstan learned how to ride horses before us we better walk!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com