Bantu Knots to Afros
Recently I was wondering why after washing my daughter’s hair I never corks screw (Bantu knots or Zulu knots) her hair. For those of you who do not know what it is let me give you some more details. I recall between the years of 5-12 on Saturdays all the women and girls would wash their hair. They would always corkscrew my hair. Once it was dried they would unlock it and it made a lovely soft fluffy afro. It was possible that the corkscrews/bantu knots were used to squeeze the excess water from the hair, making it easier to manage. The afro always seemed to look better on people with courser hair as it could withstand any wind or even rain. By the way “The afro is a classic [hair] style that was popularized in the United States during the 1960′s and ’70′s.”
I went to a Caribbean conference last year and I saw an adult woman who actually wore her hair that way to go to work. My initial reaction was “oh no sister you do not leave the walls of your house with your hair looking like that.” I had a sudden prodigious appetite for gossip. As I was not able to talk to anyone in the conference the more I stared at her, the more I noticed that there was certain chemistry about it; it began to look as if it were a piece of art. Maybe it was the way she carried it off; with such elegance and her self expression. She converted me that afternoon because I left feeling that strength of expression of black hair as there was something earthbound about the corkscrews. The Corkscrews seemed as if it took on its own spirit with a cool vibe. 
Terraced corkscrew sculpt
Staggering thoughts cover her parts
Colonial impressions beat
Drummed European influence
Shackles
-
Focus equals feeling
Roots
The strength of her expression
Captures something from the soul
Earthbound spirits gaze
A serene presence
Poem written by Brenda L. McCartney
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