For the Himba Tribe, whose communities are located in the northwestern region of Namibia, hair indicates one’s age, life stage, and marital status. Hair is often dreadlocked with a mixture of ground ochre, goat hair and butter. In modern times, Indian hair extensions purchased from nearby towns has been included in creating dreadlocks. A teenage girl who has entered puberty would usually wear braid strands or dreadlocked hair that hangs over her face, and a married woman and a new mom would wear an Erembe headdress made from animal skin over her head. A young woman who is ready to marry would tie back her dreadlocks, revealing her face. Interestingly, single men wear a single plaid to indicate their unmarried status, and once they marry, they cover their heads never to unveil them in public again, with the exception of funeral attendances.
Dreadlocks from the Himba Tribe of Northwestern Namibia
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Braids and beads from the Fulani Tribe of the Sahel Region and West Africa
The Fula, or Fulani Tribe, is the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world that populate West Africa and the Sahel Region.
A very traditional hairstyle for women includes long hair being put into five long braids that either hang or are looped on the sides, with a coiffure in the middle of the head. Hair is decorated with beads and cowrie shells. A tradition that is passed through the generations to women and young girls includes attaching the family’s silver coins and amber onto braids as a heritage symbol as well as for aesthetic purposes.