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Among
the Sadhus and Sadhvis, Indian holy men and women, dreadlocks
are sacred, their formation a religious ritual and an expression
of their disregard for profane vanity, and a manifestation
of a spiritual understanding that physical appearances are
unimportant. This Sannyasin, the particular phase of life
in which the person develops Vairagya, a state of determination
and disillusionment with material life, does not merely
follow a public pattern (that includes letting his or her
hair grow in matted locks), but goes through an inner transformation.
The public symbol of matted hair is thus re-created each
time an individual goes through these unique experiences.
In almost all myths about Shiva and his flowing locks, there
is a continual interplay of extreme asceticism and virile
potency, which link up the elements of destruction and creation,
whereas the full head of matted hair symbolizes the control
of power.
Sadhu
with jata (long dreadlocks) twisted in a knot on top of
the head Gangadhara Shiva
captures and controls the river Ganges with his locks,
whose descent from the heavens would have deluged the world.
She is released through the locks of his hair, which prevents
the river from destroying earth. As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja,
Shiva performs the tandava, which is the dance in which
the universe is created, maintaned, and resolved. Shiva's
long, matted tresses, usually piled up in a kind of pyramid,
loosen during the dance and crash into the heavenly bodies,
knocking them off course or destroying them utterly.
Dreadlocks
in India are reserved nearly exclusively for holy people
as well as shamans in many of the ethnic groups that still
maintain such practices. According to the 'Hymn of the longhaired
sage' in the ancient Vedas, long jatas express a spiritual
significance which implies the wearer has special relations
with spirits, is an immortal traveller between two worlds
and the master over fire:
The
long-haired one endures fire, the long-haired one endures
poison, the long-haired one endures both worlds. The long-haired
one is said to gaze full on heaven, the long-haired one
is said to be that light ... Of us, you mortals, only our
bodies do you behold. ...For him has the Lord of life churned
and pounded the unbendable, when the long-haired one, in
Rudra’s company, drank from the poison cup (The Keshin
Hymn, Rig-veda 10.136)
The Shaiva Nagas, ascetics of India, wear their jata (long
hair) in a twisted knot or bundle on top of the head and
let them down only for special occasions and rituals. The
strands are then rubbed with ashes and cowdung, considered
both sacred and purifying, then scented and adorned with
flowers.
In
East Asian countries, such as China, dreadlocks and a variation
on locks, the Polish plait, initially treated as an amulet
supposed to bring good health, was often worn in combination
with extremely long fingernails. These fashions were reserved
mainly for noblemen and ascetics, who wished to advertise
their freedom from menial labor and earthly attachment.
The
Baye Fall wear dreadlocks which are called ndiange or 'strong
hair' in imitation of Ibrahima Fall, chief disciple of the
spiritual guide Shaykh A?madu Bàmba Mbàkke
with the goal to cultivate a unique relationship with God
through the Shaykh.
Similarly,
the Rastafari wear dreads as an expression of inner spirituality.
For them, the term "dread" refers to a "fear
of the Lord", expressed in part as alienation from
the perceived decadence and other evils of contemporary
society and a return to the Covenant with the Almighty,
Jah Rastafari.
Another
interpretation among the Rastafari
is that "dread" refers to the fear dreadlocked
Mau Mau warriors inspired among the colonial British.
Although
Emperor Haile Sellassie I did not wear the locks, dreadlocks
on a Rasta's head are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which
is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian Flag. Rastas hold
that Selassie is a direct descendant of the Israelite Tribe
of Judah through the lineage of Kings of Israel David and
Solomon, and that he is also the Lion of Judah mentioned
in the Book of Revelation.
After
the baptism of Bob Marley in late 1980 by Ethiopian archbishop,
Abuna Yeshaq, some people, such as rock music author Timothy
White in Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley, believe that
the religious or spiritual meaning of dreadlocks can be
traced back to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. However, representatives
of the Egyptian Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Church categorically
deny a connection to the Rastafarian movement, stating that
archbishop Abuna Yeshaq has been excommunicated:
Asked
to explain the difference between Rastafarians and the Orthodox
churches, Rev. Connor said that unlike Rastafarians, who
believe the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is a god,
"we do not believe his Imperial Majesty is god. We
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." In the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church, men are not allowed to have dreadlocks
or long hair period. The Egyptian Orthodox does not condone
marijuana, as Rastafarians do. Neither does it condone liquor
or tobacco. Rev. Connor said both in Bermuda and the Caribbean,
people do not know the difference between Rastafarians and
the Orthodox churches. He said a former Ethiopian archbishop
for the West, Abuna Yeshaq, "who condoned bad practices
and wrong beliefs" including some aspects of Rastafarianism,
was partly to blame. The Archbishop has since been excommunicated,
he said. " (Bermuda Sun )
The Ngati Dreads or Maori Rastafarians, indigenous people
of New Zealand, combine the Rasta teaching with the teachings
of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, a Maori leader and the
founder of the Ringatu religion who preached belief in God
and the rejection of Maori tohungaism.
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