adminIbo Foroma Rastafarian Perspectives
MEMBERS of the Bobo Ashanti camp, or mansion of Ras Tafari, have it as a mandate to always wrap around their heads a turban; wear robes in place of Babylon clothes, and to never slander. The Nyabinghi mansion, the foundation of Ras Tafari, is somewhat flexible. During services, around Jah rainbow circle throne, Queens cover their heads as a must. Kings bear their “crowns” (dreadlocks).
The 12 Tribes of Israel occasionally exempt headgear from their dressing. They are very liberal; they congregate in any church of their choice. Some wear turbans, some don’t. It is not mandatory. The just mentioned three are the most pronounced of all mansions. Others exist including the African Unity, Covenant Rastafari, Messianic Dreads and the Selassian Church. Some wear turbans, some do not.
The ordinary person in the street is puzzled by this headgear. Some think this is a doo-rag.
A doo-rag is different. The turban is basically spiritual regalia for especially religious persons who maintain and keep natural hair.
For a host of reasons, dreadlocks require protection. In some cases red dust will tint dreadlocks red. A good example is the Kenyan Masaai Dreads.
Wearing headgear protects from insect invasions, fragments of nature, the unnecessary hooking and knotting onto hedges and fences as well as being pulled by the hair. Paint and other chemicals, liquids and fluids are prevented from disturbing the peace.
If one was not fully prepared, the dreadlocks might be sacrificed.
Members of militias, defence and security personnel always cover their heads. Exposing the head and top is parading topless. Spiritually inclined members of society do not encourage nudity.
According to Wikipedia, the word turban originated in Persia (dulband via Middle French, turbant). It is head-wear based on cloth-winding styled in many variations.
Contrary to popular belief it is usually worn by men and not women.
Communities with prominent turban-wearing traditions can be found in the Indian sub-continent, Afghanistan, the Arabian Peninsula, Southeast Asia, Northwest China, the Near East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and parts of the Swahili Coast.
Wearing turbans is common among Sikhs, who refer to it as a Dastar. In certain communities, the headgear also serves as a religious observance including among Muslims who regard turban-wearing as confirmed tradition.
Additionally, turbans have often been worn by nobility, regardless of religious background. They are also sometimes donned to protect hair and serve as a symbol of the crown or authority over territory.
In the Horn of Africa, turbans are commonly worn by Muslim clerics and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priests. The head-wrap has a long history in the region, where it was frequently sported by Sultans, Wazirs, and other aristocratic and court officials.
In the Sahel, Tuareg Berbers and some Northern Berbers, Sahrawi, Songhai, Widaabe, Fulani and Hausa people of North and West Africa wear varieties of turbans.
Tuareg Berbers often veil the face to block dust. This Tuareg-Berber turban is known as a tagelmust, and is often blue.
The Bedouin tribes in North Africa sometimes wear brown-beige, white or orange turbans. On the Swahili Coast, turbans were frequently worn by the ruling Omani Sultans of Zanzibar and their retinue.
Turbans are part of the national dress in Afghanistan. They are used more widely than elsewhere in the Muslim world. They are worn in a wide range of styles and colours.
In the countries South-east turbans are wrapped loosely and largely whereas in Kabul the garment tends to be smaller and tighter.
Women of Islam do not wear turbans and instead cover their hair with a hijab. However Sikh women may wear a turban if they wish.
In Judaism, the priestly mitre or turban was the head covering worn by the Jewish High Priest when he served in the tabernacle and the temple in Jerusalem. In the Hebrew Bible, the turban worn by the high priest was much larger than the head coverings of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban, resembling the blossom of a flower.
The head covering of the priests called migbahat was different, being wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban.
The priestly crown was attached to the turban by means of two sets of blue cords; one going over the top of the head and another around the sides of the head at the level of the ears (Exodus 39:31).
The Jews who lived under Arab rule during the middle ages, notably in Islamic Spain wore turbans and headwear not too different from their Muslim counterparts.
Rastafarians do share a lot of similarities with other religions and cultures from different regions. The wearing of turbans is one good example.
Due to a severe lack of knowledge skeptics claim that the fashion is copied from the Caribbean Islands especially Jamaica. Please note that as fundamentalist Rastafarians, unlike our fanatical counterparts we do not blindly follow into anything.
Note again; nothing is new under the sun. The Jamaicans whom we are constantly accused of copying were inspired into dressing as such from pressures emanating greatly from the African motherland.
Online Reporter