Considering the prevalence of dreadlocks today and their twentieth-century Jamaican roots, it's tempting to view them as just another outgrowth of multiculturalism, a blatant badge of membership in the global village. But the current craze for dreadlocks can be deceptive: In fact, the style dates back to the dawn of civilization. India's sadhus and sadhvis—mendicant ascetics of the Hindu faith—have been locking their hair for pre-Christian centuries, from the time when their ancestral warriors fought for royal rulers. Matted locks, or jatta, are considered a divine directive, symbolic of the the covenant between the sadhus and Shiva, the god of destruction and regeneration. Tresses are roped in emulation of the deities: Skanda, depicted with six matted locks—one for each of his faces; Huniyan, marked with five—or three in his demonic incarnation. Jatta announces that its owner adheres to the strict spiritual and sexual practices, including poverty and celibacy, outlined over two thousand years ago in the Naradaparivrajaka Upanished. The Old Testament recounts the tale of Sampson and Delilah, in which a man's potency is directly related to the "seven locks" upon his head. Jesus of Nazareth would have returned from his forty days in the desert with matted hair.
Excerpted from Dreads by Francesco Mastalia. Copyright (c) 1999. Reprinted with permission by Artisan.
