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The Role Of Hair In The Wolof Culture

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In the early fifteenth century, hair had served as a carrier of messages in most West African societies (Bankhead and Johnson, 2014, p. 88). These African tribes, such as the people from the Mende, Wolof, Yoruba, and Mandingo, were all transported to the “New World” on slave ships. Hair often stood for one’s age, marital status, ethnic identity, religion, wealth, and rank in the community. Hairstyles could also be used to identify a geographic region. For example, young girls partially shaved their hair as an outward symbol that they were not courting in the Wolof culture of Senegal (Bankhead and Johnson, 2014, p. 85). Another example consisted of the Karamo people of Nigeria were recognized for their unique coiffure, which was a shaved head
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