Significance of the African headgear

Different African cultures used hairstyles and differently coloured headgear to announce tribal association, gender, religion, careers and social status.

The sacred significance of the headdress meant that not everyone wore it. Among the Plain Nilotes, these were worn only by male chiefs, and only on special ceremonial occasions. In the traditional world, the headdress was something to be earned. But in today’s world, that deep sacred meaning is eclipsed by the desire to just dress up and play or appear in Halloween events. 

Ordinarily, hair can just be parted down the middle, a headband or headpiece worn across a forehead, worn in twist outs, or braids that have accessories woven into them, French plaits and braids. When touches of skin, feathers, wood and cowry shells are thrown in, you have a headdress with several looks. 

The Maasai used headgear to pronounce status and symbolize achievement, alongside colour. Red depicts bravery, strength, unity and the incredible challenges that the Maasai people face.  Blue stands for energy and sustenance and the colour of the sky which provides water for the people and their cattle.

Other colours used were green is for nourishment and production, representing the land that provides door for the people and their livestock whilst also symbolizing the putting down of roots and the protection of one’s territory; orange which symbolizes warmth, friendship, generosity and hospitality and yellow for symbolizing fertility and growth. White which represents purity and health as denoted by the colour of a cow’s milk was also used.

Warriors who have killed a lion traditionally wore a headdress made of the lion’s mane called  “Olwaru” while those who are yet to kill their first lion, wore a headdress is made of ostrich feathers, called “enkuraru.”

After circumcision, young men among the Samburu, Pokot, Rendille and Maasai wear the headdress made of (bright) ostrich feathers, cowry shells and beads. They are not allowed to meet women during this time and this headgear is subsequently worn until marriage. 

The Turkana men of North Kenya apply red crimson dye on their hair which is made from the ever-present red ochre soil. The women, on the other hand, wear traditional beaded necklaces and other body adornments that highlight their social status. 

The Swahili headdress is the ‘Boshori’ which was worn by old men to signify maturity, and it what differentiates people of different ages – the young from the old. ‘Walai’ is another headgear worn by Swahili men especially when heading to the mosque. It is the attire that most Swahili people find religious. 

Tribal headgear was also visible among the Kikuyu. During the recent wedding of Anne Waiguru and Kamotho Waiganjo, the groom donned a sheep-skin hat, which is a cultural artifice. In a way, this resonated with the true nature and the soul of the Kikuyu. 

Decades earlier, at independence, when Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as Kenya’s First President, he wore a scintillating ceremonial robe and a headdress made from the skin of the thumbless colobus monkey – one of Kenya’s rare and treasured primates. 

It is about the structuring of systems of encounter within the visual and material world of intrinsic culture. Design culture is indeed a process that describes and communicates contextual influences and contextually informed actions all in the hunt for a suitable design. 

How the Kikuyu came to adopt the warm fuzzy sheepskin or the fur of a colobus monkey is most definitely a product of the cold central highland climatic conditions and the marked seniority of the wearer respectively. 

Casting eyes across Africa, one spots the Bameleke people of the Cameroon grasslands who wear foldable hats on special occasions. Their headgear is often made from dyed chicken feathers. Today these colourful foldable feather hats are popular as an interior designer’s accessories for adorning walls.

Headgear is not just confined to hats. We have wigs, hair ornaments, razors and combs to aid in adorning the head. Overall, headgear in African culture is visible in many statues, masks and certain ceremonial staffs, depicting an engaging and laborious exercise of love.

The authors are associated with The Home Gallery, Muthaiga.

Lisa@lisachristofffersen.com and kitheka@live.com