Im white and id like to learn more about the meaning of dreads and what they symbolize and more about african culture

Novanova

 

 

There are different stories of how dreadlocks became a symbol of African culture and they all may be valid, however the one I'm most familiar with has to do with it being a symbol of African resistance in the Americas.
 

In places like Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean when Africans were first brought on land to be used as slaves...many escaped and ran into the tropical rainforests and mountains to escape the Caucasians.  Living out in the wild without finer tools like razors that were traditionally used to groom themselves and cut their hair many of them let their hair (and beards for men) grow unkempt and it naturally matted and locked together forming TRUE dreadlocks. 

The tradition was maintained to wear the hair unkempt and untouched as a sign of resistance.

This was my initial reaction to the question 🙂