"Dreadlocks" are associated most closely with the Rastafari movement, but people from many groups in history before them have worn dreadlocks, including the Hindu Shiva worshippers of India and the Sufis Rafaees , the Maasai of East Africa, and the Sufis malangs and fakirs of Pakistan. The term "Dreadlocks" comes from Europeans referring to the style as dreadful, which is why I call them "Locs". Locs can represent a spiritual journey that is not just related to the Rastafari movement.The first known examples of locs date back to North Africa. In ancient dynastic Egypt examples of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles and wigs have appeared on bas-reliefs, statuary and other artifacts. Mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with locks, as well as locked wigs, have also been recovered from archaeological sites. Pre-Columbian Aztec priests were described in Aztec codices as wearing their hair untouched, allowing it to grow long and matted. Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, claims that he was “the first dread in West Africa”.
Locs in history has been worn by a variety of people:
- Africans
- Buddhists
- Rastafarians
- African-Americans
- Priests and Priestesses
- Witches and Wizards
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