Hair is POWER
Posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21: Previous Next
Hau kola! (Hello friends)
I am here because Bill Choisser e-mailed me and complimented a page on my site that deals with what having long hair means to an Indigenous person. I appreciate the link Bill.
If you all don't mind, I would like to contribute to this message board, the meaning of long hair to many Indigenous people....
Very simply said- Hair is POWER! It is, and has been our identity for tens of thousands of years. The length of an Indians hair reminds him of the things he has learned. I can look at the ends of my braids and go back several years to reflect where I was.... and where I have come. For the Indian, long hair is TRADITION as well. In the old days, the grass dancers prepared the dance circle by dancing on the prairie grass. This matted the grass down flat. We did not CUT the grass, for that was disrespectful. It is much the same with our hair. To cut it is to disrespect our tradition and our Creator. My Gr. Grandmother went to 'Indian school' in Pennsylvania. They cut off the hair of all the boys who went to their so-called 'school'. Why do you think they did that? Because hair is POWER my relations! They knew if they cut our hair off, they were stealing our identity.... our inner strength and power. And so when I feel my hair tickling my waist.... when I feel the wind in my hair.... and when I tie the wraps onto the ends of my braids.... I stand with my ancestors! They chopped off the beautiful hair of thousands of Indian boys.... I am the legacy of these boys.... and so I grow my hair because they could not.... and I grow my hair because I am Lakota. As I braid my long straight dark hair, I celebrate my power.... my identity.... They will NOT cut MY hair. I am Lakota. And I am proud.
Hope I have contributed to your board in a positive way my friends. Stand tall and grow it LONG....
Your brother,
John Two-Hawks - Oglala Lakota Nation
Re: Native-American Braids
Posted by stalker on December 04, 2000 at 01:09:53: Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair is POWER posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21:
: Hau kola!
: I am here because Bill Choisser e-mailed me and complimented a page on my site that deals with what having long hair means to an Indigenous person. I appreciate the link Bill.
: I can look at the ends of my braids and go back several years to reflect where I was.... and where I have come. As I braid my long straight dark hair, I celebrate my power.... my identity.... They will NOT cut MY hair. I am Lakota. And I am proud.
Any Native Americans who still wear their hair in side braids? (As opposed to a pony-tail in back or wearing it loose.)
Re: Native-American Braids
Posted by John Two-Hawks on December 27, 2000 at 19:41:33: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Native-American Braids posted by stalker on December 04, 2000 at 01:09:53:
: Any Native Americans who still wear their hair in side braids? (As opposed to a pony-tail in back or wearing it loose.)
In response.... Yes! Plenty my friend, myself included.
John Two-Hawks
Re: Hair is POWER
Posted by wolfgang on December 04, 2000 at 13:43:59: Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair is POWER posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21:
I like your comment and I also like the Indians long hair. But my sight of view considering long hairs is not a powerful one. I think the word power is often related with short hair, even the women try to look powerful. There exist a lot of things like "hair power", but the outcoming is really short.
For me hair is related to the natural site of humen, it helps not to forget it. And this natural site contains our greatest potential for creativity and intelligence, but todays life seems to follow other rules.
wolfgang
Re: Hair is POWER
Posted by Sunn on December 04, 2000 at 22:08:11: Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair is POWER posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21:
: Hau kola! (Hello friends)
: I am here because Bill Choisser e-mailed me and complimented a page on my site that deals with what having long hair means to an Indigenous person. I appreciate the link Bill.
: If you all don't mind, I would like to contribute to this message board, the meaning of long hair to many Indigenous people....
: Very simply said- Hair is POWER! It is, and has been our identity for tens of thousands of years. The length of an Indians hair reminds him of the things he has learned. I can look at the ends of my braids and go back several years to reflect where I was.... and where I have come. For the Indian, long hair is TRADITION as well. In the old days, the grass dancers prepared the dance circle by dancing on the prairie grass. This matted the grass down flat. We did not CUT the grass, for that was disrespectful. It is much the same with our hair. To cut it is to disrespect our tradition and our Creator. My Gr. Grandmother went to 'Indian school' in Pennsylvania. They cut off the hair of all the boys who went to their so-called 'school'. Why do you think they did that? Because hair is POWER my relations! They knew if they cut our hair off, they were stealing our identity.... our inner strength and power. And so when I feel my hair tickling my waist.... when I feel the wind in my hair.... and when I tie the wraps onto the ends of my braids.... I stand with my ancestors! They chopped off the beautiful hair of thousands of Indian boys.... I am the legacy of these boys.... and so I grow my hair because they could not.... and I grow my hair because I am Lakota. As I braid my long straight dark hair, I celebrate my power.... my identity.... They will NOT cut MY hair. I am Lakota. And I am proud.
: Hope I have contributed to your board in a positive way my friends. Stand tall and grow it LONG....
: Your brother,
: John Two-Hawks - Oglala Lakota Nation
Thank you, John Two-Hawks... I truly appreciated your words.
Sunn
Re: Hair is POWER (or at least potency)
Posted by Blancmange on December 05, 2000 at 16:55:17: Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair is POWER posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21:
John Two-Hawks:
As I braid my long straight dark hair, I celebrate my power.... my identity.... They will NOT cut MY hair. I am Lakota. And I am proud.
Re: Hair is POWER
Posted by Jean on December 06, 2000 at 11:22:06: Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair is POWER posted by John Two-Hawks on December 03, 2000 at 20:23:21:
John Two-Hawks
That was a very interresting post. I appreciate you telling us what is behind long hairs in your nation.
I believe in that as I also experience a great feeling for having let my hairs grow long. First I am so much proud of me now, I prefer my look so much more. And also it give me a lot of confidence in realising that I can stand for my own personal preference despite all the pressure for me to cut them short.
>>They knew if they cut our hair off, they were stealing our identity.... our inner strength and power.<<
I indeed feel my inner strenght by standing up for my personal identity.
Yours
Jean