Now, I do not have an African heritage, so I do not know, nor do I claim to know, everything having to do with African hairstyles. However, I was born in Kenya and lived there through the first half of my childhood. During my childhood, I often wore hairstyles commonly associated with Africa and it was perfectly acceptable. Coming back to the United States and being told that I was being disrespectful by wearing hairstyles that were only for people of African descent was a shock to me. I often wondered if the ways in which I wore my hair as a child were wrong and if I had been disrespecting or hurting people by wearing my hair in those styles. I started doing the following research because I wanted to understand what exactly was wrong, why it was wrong, and how to fix it.

I want to start by clearing up some misconceptions. The cultures we have today are not completely individual nor are they explicitly the possession of any single group. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain things specific to various regions, races, ethnicity groups, and religions. However, humans have been borrowing from each other’s cultural traditions since the dawn of time and it is not likely to stop anytime soon.

Misconception #1: Defining “cultural appropriation”

Let’s start with some definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, all of which can be found through the Merriam-Webster online dictionary at
https://www.merriam-webster.com/.

Culture: 1) the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious or social group 4) the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

Appropriate: b.1) to take exclusive possession of b.2) to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use b.3) to take or make use of without authority or right

Misappropriation: to appropriate wrongly (as by theft or embezzlement)

Now that we have looked at the definitions of the words “culture,” “appropriate,” and “misappropriate” let’s have a discussion.

What is cultural appropriation?

I understand that the definition of “appropriate” can seem confusing, especially b.3. However, appropriation is not wrong in and of itself. Humans have no technical right to appropriate natural habits, yet we do, such as appropriating the way monkeys eat bananas. When dealing with cultural appropriation in how it is used in common discourse today, the more correct term would be “cultural misappropriation”.

What is cultural misappropriation?

Cultural misappropriation is when items of cultural heritage are taken by people who are not a part of the culture, do not understand the culture, or do not accept the original culture, and then claim the items they have taken as their own, without due credit to the items’ origins. It is perfectly acceptable to borrow (appropriate) from other cultures, as long as there is respect for and due diligence paid to the origins of whatever is being appropriated.

What do people appropriate?

Examples of items commonly appropriated include food, dance, music, clothing, and hairstyles.

Never have I heard someone say I should not eat or cook Kenyan food, Chinese food, or Korean food because I am a Caucasian American. Nor has anyone said I should not dance ballet or sing opera because I am not Italian.

If food, dance, and music are acceptable to appropriate, why is it that fashion and hair are such controversial issues? I am specifically addressing the reaction to people of non-African descent wearing dreadlocks.

Misconception #2: Dreadlocks began in Africa.

Dreadlocks did not, in fact, begin in Africa. Or rather, they did not only begin in Africa. From my research, I was able to discover that dreadlocks are directly associated with many different cultures and regions. One of the oldest associations is in India, specifically the Hindu deity Shiva (refer to Hindu scriptures The Vedas at http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/). The pharaohs of Egypt also wore dreadlocks, as can be seen in numerous stone carvings in Egypt. Roman accounts can also be referenced stating that various Germanic tribes wore their hair in dreadlocks and that the Celts wore their hair “like snakes.” (Note: Indians are classified as Asian while Germanic tribes and Celts are classified as Caucasian, therefore dismissing the argument that dreadlocks are only for people of African descent.)

Because dreadlocks do have history in cultures other than those on the African continent, it cannot be said that the wearing of dreadlocks by those of non-African descent is wrong in and of itself. However, dreadlocks are associated with spirituality in most of their cultures of origin. Because of this fact, if you choose to wear your hair in this style, know why you are doing it. If your reasoning is because it “looks cool” take a moment to think about what you will say if someone whose religion places importance on the wearing of dreadlocks asks you about them. Are you showing respect for their culture or religion, or are you lessening the value of it?

If the wearing of a hairstyle is “cultural appropriation” from African cultures (which we have already concluded that it is not) then non-Chinese people should not wear silk as silk originated in China. No one should wear white wedding dresses as they are based specifically on Queen Victoria’s wedding gown. Traditionally, Irish and Scottish wedding dresses were blue and Chinese wedding clothes were red. Additionally, no one should consume cotton, tobacco, sugar, coffee, or corn products as they are all symbols of the slave trade.

In closing, let me make one more statement. The act of trying to push defining differences between cultures does nothing other than push the idea of segregation. By pointing out the “other-ness” of a culture, people effectively place a hierarchy on cultures. If this trend continues, the next step is separate bathrooms for American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White or Caucasian peoples. I, for one, would much prefer segregation stay in the past, where it belongs.