Cornrows (also called canerows) are a style of three-strand braids in which the hair is braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to make a continuous, raised row.<ref name="cornrow noun">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cornrows are often done in simple, straight lines, as the term implies, but they can also be styled in elaborate geometric or curvilinear designs. They are considered a traditional hairstyle in many African cultures, as well as in the African diaspora.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite thesis p. 221.</ref><ref name=":7">Template:Cite journal</ref> They are distinct from, but may resemble, box braids, Dutch braids, melon coiffures, and other forms of plaited hair, and are typically tighter than braids used in other cultures.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The name cornrows refers to the layout of crops in corn and sugar cane fields in the Americas and Caribbean,<ref name="cornrow noun" /><ref name="Mensah20202">Template:Cite book</ref> where enslaved Africans were displaced during the Atlantic slave trade.<ref>Quampah, B., Owusu, E., Adu, V. N. F. A., Agyemang Opoku, N., Akyeremfo, S., & Ahiabor, A. J. (2023). "Cornrow: a medium for communicating escape strategies during the transatlantic slave trade era: evidences from Elmina Castle and Centre for National Culture in Kumasi". International Journal of Social Sciences: Current and Future Research Trends (IJSSCFRT), 18:1. pp. 127-143.</ref> According to Black folklore, cornrows were often used to communicate on the Underground Railroad and by Benkos Biohó during his time as a slave in Colombia.<ref name="Irbahim">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They often serve as a form of Black self-expression,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> especially among African Americans,<ref name="cornrow noun" /> but have been stigmatized in some cultures.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8">Spellers, R. E. (2000). Cornrows in corporate America: Black female hair/body politics and socialization experiences in dominant culture workplace organizations. Arizona State University. p.iii.</ref> Cornrows are traditionally called "kolese" or "irun didi" in Yoruba, and are often nicknamed "didi braids" in the Nigerian diaspora.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cornrows are worn by both sexes, and are sometimes adorned with beads, shells, or hair cuffs.<ref name="cornrow noun" /> The duration of braiding cornrows may take up to five hours, depending on the quantity and width.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Often favored for their easy maintenance, cornrows can be left in for weeks at a time if maintained through careful washing of the hair and natural oiling of the scalp. Braids are considered a protective styling on African curly hair as they allow for easy and restorative growth; braids pulled too tightly or worn for longer lengths of time and on different hair types can cause a type of hair loss known as traction alopecia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
HistoryEdit
AfricaEdit
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Cornrows originated in Africa,<ref name="cornrow noun" /> where they likely developed in response to the unique textures of African hair,<ref name=":14" /><ref name="White 1995">Template:Cite journal</ref> and have held significance for different cultures throughout recorded history.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Early depictions of women with what appear to be cornrows have been found in Stone Age paintings in the Tassili Plateau of the Sahara, and have been dated as far back as 3000 B.C. A similar style is also seen in depictions of the ancient Cushitic people of the Horn of Africa, who appear to be wearing this style of braids as far back as 2000 B.C.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Nubia, the remains of a young girl wearing cornrows has been dated to 550–750 A.D.<ref>DeLongoria, M. (2018). Misogynoir:* Black Hair, Identity Politics, and Multiple Black Realities. Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, 12(8), 39-49 (40).</ref> Cornrows have also been documented in the ancient Nok civilization in Nigeria,<ref name=":3" /> in the Mende culture of Sierra Leone,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Dan culture of the Côte d'Ivoire.<ref name=":2" />
Women in West Africa have been attested wearing complex hairstyles of threaded or wrapped braids since at least the 18th century. These practices likely influenced the use of cornrows and headwraps (such as durags) among enslaved Africans taken to the Americas.<ref name="White 1995" /> In Ethiopia and Eritrea, there are many braided hairstyles which may include cornrows or "shuruba", such as Habesha or Albaso braids, and Tigray shuriba.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Though such hairstyles have always been popular with women, Ethiopian men have also worn such hairstyles. In 19th century Ethiopia, male warriors and kings such as Tewodros II and Yohannes IV were depicted wearing braided hairstyles, including the shuruba.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cornrow hairstyles in Africa also cover a wide social terrain: religion, kinship, status, age, racial diversity, and other attributes of identity can all be expressed in hairstyle. Just as important is the act of braiding, which passes on cultural values between generations, expresses bonds between friends, and establishes the role of professional practitioner.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":14" /> Braiding is traditionally a social ritual in many African cultures—as is hairstyling in general—and is often performed communally, as White and White explain:
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In African cultures, the grooming and styling of hair have long been important social rituals. Elaborate hair designs, reflecting tribal affiliation, status, sex, age, occupation, and the like, were common, and the cutting, shaving, wrapping, and braiding of hair were centuries-old arts. In part, it was the texture of African hair that allowed these cultural practices to develop; as the historian John Thornton has observed, "the tightly spiraled hair of Africans makes it possible to design and shape it in many ways impossible for the straighter hair of Europeans."<ref name=":14" />{{#if:|{{#if:|}}
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EuropeEdit
There have been a number of examples of European art and sculpture described as similar to modern cornrows,<ref name="White 2006" /> such as plaits, the melon coiffure and sini crenes.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Witcombe3" /><ref name=":5" />
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The oldest of these depictions are the statues known as the Venus of Brassempouy<ref name="White 2006">Template:Cite journal.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the Venus of Willendorf,<ref name="Witcombe3">"Woman from Willendorf" Template:Webarchive. Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 2003: "The rows are not one continuous spiral but are, in fact, composed in seven concentric horizontal bands that encircle the head and two more horizontal bands underneath the first seven on the back of the head."</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> which date between 23,000 and 29,000 years ago<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and were found in modern day France and Austria. Whether these statues feature cornrows, another type of braids, headdresses, or some other styling has been a matter of vigorous debate — most historians rule out cornrows, however.<ref name="White 2006" /><ref name="Witcombe3" /><ref name=":6" /> The Venus of Brassempouy is often said to wear a wig or a patterned hood,<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref> while the Venus of Willendorf is said to be wearing plaited hair or a fibrous cap.<ref name="Witcombe3" />
Since the early 5th century B.C., Ancient Greek and Roman art shows men and women with a characteristic melon coiffure, especially in the "Oriental Aphrodite" tradition, which may be confused with cornrows.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The traditional hairstyle of Roman Vestal Virgins, the sini crenes, also incorporates two braids that resemble cornrows.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
AmericasEdit
The first recorded use of the word "cornrow" was in America in 1769, referring to the corn fields of the Americas. The earliest recorded use of the term "cornrows" to refer a hairstyle was in 1902.Template:Efn<ref name="cornrow noun" /> The name "canerows" may be more common in parts of the Caribbean due to the historic role of sugar plantations in the region.<ref name="Mensah20202"/>
As in Africa, grooming was a social activity for Black people on the American plantations; the enslaved Africans were reported helping each other style their hair into a wide variety of appearances. On his visit to a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi, New Englander Joseph lngraham wrote, "No scene can be livelier or more interesting to a Northerner, than that which the negro quarters of a well regulated plantation present, on a Sabbath morning, just before church hour."<ref name=":142">Template:Cite book</ref> Hairstyles were so characteristic of a person, even when their appearance and behaviour was otherwise heavily regulated, that they were often used to identify runaways, and enslaved Africans sometimes had their hair shaved as a form of punishment. Generally, however, slaveholders in the British colonies gave their Black slaves a degree of latitude in how they wore their hair.<ref name=":14">Template:Cite book</ref> Thus, wearing traditional hairstyles offered a way to assert their bodily autonomy when they otherwise had none.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Enslaved Black people may have chosen to wear cornrows to keep their hair neat and flat to their scalp while working; the other styles they developed alongside cornrows blended African, European and Native American trends and traditions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> African-American, Afro-Latino and Caribbean folklore also relates multiple stories of cornrows being used to communicate or provide maps for slaves across the "New World".<ref name="Irbahim" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Today, such styles retain their link with Black self-expression and creativity, and may also serve as a form of political expression.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":10">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Cornrows gained in popularity in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and again during the 1990s and 2000s. In the 2000s, some athletes wore cornrows, including NBA basketball players Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Latrell Sprewell.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> Some female mixed martial artists have chosen to wear cornrows for their fights as it prevents their hair from obscuring their vision as they move.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Attitudes to cornrowsEdit
Colonial attitudes and practices towards Black hairstyles have traditionally been used to reinforce racism, exclusion and inequality.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite journal</ref> For example, during the 18th century, slaves would sometimes have their hair shaved as a lesser form of punishment.<ref name=":14" /> Eurocentric beauty standards, which often denigrate Black hairstyles, can lead to internalized racism, colorism, and marginalization, which negatively affect Black people—and Black women in particular.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Related valuations of hair texture—which portray straighter hair as "good hair" and curlier hair as "bad hair"—are emphasized through the media, advertising, and popular culture.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> These attitudes to hair can devalue African heritage and lead to discrimination.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":15">Template:Cite journal</ref> The unique type of discrimination that arises from prejudice towards Black women's hair is called natural hair discrimination.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite these challenges, cornrows have gained popularity among Black people as a way to express their Blackness, creativity and individuality.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":11" /><ref name=":13" />
Over the decades, cornrows, alongside dreadlocks, have been the subject of several disputes in U.S. workplaces, as well as universities and schools. Some employers and educational institutions<ref name=":13">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> have considered cornrows unsuitable or "unprofessional", and have banned them.<ref name=":0" /> Employees and civil rights groups have countered that such attitudes evidence cultural bias or racism, and some disputes have resulted in litigation.<ref name=":9" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1981, Renee Rogers sued American Airlines for their policy which banned cornrows and other braided hairstyles. Other cases, such as Mitchell vs Marriott Hotel and Pitts vs. Wild Adventures, soon followed.<ref>DeLongoria, M. (2018). Misogynoir:* Black Hair, Identity Politics, and Multiple Black Realities. Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, 12(8), 39-49 (45).</ref> Since other traditional Black hairstyles are also often banned, Black women may be forced to straighten their hair or emulate European hairstyles at significant additional cost.<ref name=":15" /> The intersection of racialized and gendered discrimination against Black women is often called misogynoir.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In California, the CROWN Act was passed in 2019 to prohibit discrimination based on hair style and hair texture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2011, the High Court of the United Kingdom, in a decision reported as a test case, ruled against a school's decision to refuse entry to a student with cornrows. The school claimed this was part of its policy mandating "short back and sides" haircuts, and banning styles that might be worn as indicators of gang membership. However, the court ruled that the student was expressing a tradition and that such policies, while possibly justifiable in certain cases (e.g. skinhead gangs), had to accommodate reasonable racial diversities and cultural practices.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In some African nations, regularly changing hairstyles can be seen as a sign of social status for a woman, while advertising continues to promote straighter hairstyles as fashionable. Braids provide a way for women to maintain their hair, and are sometimes used with Chinese or Indian wigs to rotate hairstyles.<ref name=":12" />
GalleryEdit
- Braid-wil7148.jpg
Styled cornrows
- Braid.jpg
Cornrows
- Artistic Braiding by Yessenia.jpg
Artistic braiding