Bantu Knots

Brief History

The protective African hairstyle Bantu knots originated over one hundred years ago. It is believed that the hairstyle, also referred to as Zulu knots, was created by the Zulu people of South Africa, one of the 300 to 600 ethnic groups within southern and central Africa that spoke the Bantu language. Bantu is universally recognized as the Zulu word for people, so the hairstyle name, bantu knots, translates to people knots.

When Africans were brought over to the United States during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, they brought over many aspects of their culture. One aspect is hairstyling, and one of the many hairstyles brought over to the Americas was Bantu knots. Black girls and women in the United States have been reinventing the hairstyle for years, so there are may ways to style Bantu knots.

In recent times, partly due to the Natural Hair Movement, Bantu knots have become come increasingly popular. Due to their recent rise in popularity, Black girls and women are no longer the only group of people wearing Bantu knots anymore. More and more celebrities, of all races, not just in the United States,  but also in European countries like Britain, have been seen wearing Bantu knots. This hairstyle has been seen on Blac Chyna, Dej Loaf, Beverly Naya, Khloe Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and may more female celebrities. Bantu knots have even been featured in Guido Paulau’s Marc by Marc Jacobs’ Spring Summer 2015 fashion show.

This diversification of the people who wear Bantu knots has sparked a lot of controversy and back lash because some people call it the cultural appropriation of Black and African culture and other call it either a trend or the cultural appreciation of Black and African culture.

Techniques:

One bantu knot technique is the twisted Bantu knots. After washing the hair, make sure the hair is completely combed out. Separate the hair into as many or as little parts as is desired. Then, using hair ties, tightly tie the sections as if they are ponytails. After tying the hair, separate a section in two pieces and begin to twist the two strands together. After twisting the two strands together, take the whole twist and start wrapping it around the base in a clockwise knot. Then secure the knot by either tucking the end of the hair under the knot or by using a bobby pin, then repeat.

Another Bantu knot technique is the braided Bantu knots. It is the same process as the twisted bantu knot, but the difference is that the hair is braided instead of twisted before wrapping it.

A third technique does not involve braiding or twisting. Instead of separating the hair into two or three sections to braid or twist, the whole thing is wrapped tightly using a finger to swirl the hair, then the hair is knotted into a Bantu knot.

References

Horne, Madison. “A Visual of Iconic Black Hairstyles.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Feb. 2018, www.history.com/news/black-hairstyles-visual-history-in-photos.

Tipton, Kiana. “The History of Bantu Knots.” NaturallyCurly.com, 28 Sept. 2018. www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/hairstyles/history-of-bantu-knots.

Bantu Knots

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