What are the African head wraps called?

What are the African head wraps called?

In Nigeria a head tie is called a gele — that’s the word used by the Yoruba, one of the country’s many ethnic groups. But the wearing of head wraps is traditional for all Nigerians and indeed for most African cultures. An artfully folded gele is part of everyday wear and de rigueur for special occasions like weddings.

What are the head wraps called?

A headscarf is a scarf covering most or all of the top of a person’s, usually women’s, hair and head, leaving the face uncovered. A headscarf is formed of a triangular cloth or a square cloth folded into a triangle, with which the head is covered.

What African cultures wear turbans?

Headwraps are traditional attire in many Sub-Saharan African cultures. The Yoruba in Nigeria call their artfully folded wraps geles. Ghanaian women call theirs dukus. South African and Namibian women often use the Afrikaans word doek.

What is the thing black girls wear on their head?

Black women have worn sleep bonnets and head wraps to help protect their hair and make natural hairstyles last longer. For many, it is a part of their nightly routine, experts say.

Why do blacks wear head wraps?

Head wraps became a way to conceal the unkempt hair while enslaved Black people picked cotton, performed housework for their slave masters and worked 12- hour work days. Since Black humans were viewed as subhumans, the many ways of their previous culture became lost in a dark way of survival.

Did African men wear head wraps?

Headwraps were used to protect chemically treated hair from sweat, dirt and water which could affect how well the chemicals worked and hinder the hair growth. Similar headwraps soon became popular among black men as well, with items such as the durag used to maintain popular hairstyles including the conk.

Do African men wear head wraps?

Even some African men wear head-wraps as a fashion statement, and as a wealth and social status symbolism. South African hip-hop artist Riky Rick was once made fun of for donning one at an awards ceremony.

What are bonnets for black hair?

Sleep bonnets serve a function, providing protection to hair from rough pillows cases and sleeping; but they’re also a cultural shorthand for when someone has more important things on their minds than doing their hair. Don’t cross a Black person wearing a sleep bonnet outside.