The head wrap has long been part of African culture, however, when African men and women were forced to come to the United States as enslaved people, the story of this headpiece came with them. In colonial United States, this head wrap became paradoxical and representative of slavery to their white overlords, but there is much more meaning and symbolism behind this piece of personal adornment. The meaning of the head wrap can be seen in a variety of ways depending on the time period and the culture that is wearing it. Let not the meaning and cultural value of the head wrap to African Americans fade in the light of a different group of individuals who misinterpreted their culture. The head wrap may have been seen as a sign of slavery to some, but there was a much greater value to the individuals who had them wrapped around their heads.

When African American individuals were brought as slaves to the United States in the 1800s, they were not allowed to bring clothing with them. This acted as a symbol of their new lives of servitude as they are stripped from their clothing and their freedom. Therefore, clothing became a symbol of their identity as it was now something of greater value and a start to their new lives. When these African individuals arrived to the colonies, they were often separated from their friends and families. After being separated, they were sent to slave owners to be auctioned off as slaves and given new names. This created an even greater identity struggle among their cultural and personal identities. There were not many ways in which they were able to express themselves as their clothing and shoes were all chosen and given to them. Despite this lacking of freedom of expression, enslaved women still found ways to reflect their identities through personal adornment, mostly through cultural beads or head wraps that they would place on their bodies. Helen Greibel comments on these headpieces, “ It endured the travail of slavery and never passed out of fashion. The head wrap represents far more than a piece of fabric wound around the head.” This symbolizes the way in which they put their full force into keeping the symbolic representation of the head wrap as more than just a piece of fabric. The head wrap changed the way in which women saw themselves and became a way for these enslaved people, specifically women, could reclaim their own sense of humanity.

There is a long history of individuals from many cultures wearing head wraps all over the world. The African American woman’s particular style and head wrap is presented in sub-Saharan aesthetics. Originally, the head wrap was worn by both men and women, but eventually became almost exclusively worn by women. During the 1850s, white overlords added this idea of a head covering to later stereotype these black women as “Mammy”, or an enslaved woman in a nanny role, as if they are always supposed to remain in these positions and their headwear certified these symbols. The regulations that were put on the dress code of the enslaved African people allowed control among the white slave owners over them and the ability to diminish laws breaking or defying uncivil acts against the law.

In the colonies, racism was blatantly displayed toward African and Native American people as they treated them as though they were property and had ownership over them. White slave owners and colonial people believed that they were superior and that individuals of other races were subhuman and of lesser value to humanity. Therefore, it created this idea that society was to think of them as lesser beings. Selecting their own clothing or even walking around naked was accepted in these enslaved societies, while white men and women needed to be fully embellished to represent their social status. These European slave owners made them wear specific clothing as well as headpieces or head wraps as a sign of their low class and their ownership over them. In addition, slave owners also saw these as beneficial means because it kept hair out of the slave’s face, prevented the spread of lice and became a helpful tool overall. In addition to the slave owners declaring a social status to the head wrap, within African communities there was also a social status associated with wearing it. There are different kinds of folds and fabrics that are worn for special social and religious events that are symbolic of the individual. Descendants of these enslaved women describe the head wrap as an image of courage that these women wore to represent their homeland and bring this culture to their new land through force.

The head wrap can primarily be seen from two different viewpoints, the cultural, personal, and revolutionary eyes of the African enslaved women or the oppressive and controlling eyes of the European slave owners. The long history of how the head wrap has been displayed as a symbol in society represents its individual meaning to culture. This simple rag has served as a communal and cultural identity, specifically to the enslaved African people. The head wrap acquired a different kind of meaning, as a piece of courage that relates back to their African homeland and creates a greater tie back to their culture. The women who determined the history of the head wrap created a significance to the usage in later generations. The head wrap has become a significant part of their culture, as a uniform during the denial of their human rights. We should do our best to maintain the culturally symbolic definition of the head wrap in our society.