African men and women within the realm of the African diaspora have historically decorated their heads in inventive and unique ways. Its central transcending position makes the head an ideal site for the aesthetic and symbolic elaboration of the body. In many African languages, as in English, the word "head" is used metaphorically. Some common meanings of kun, the word for head in the Bamana lan- guage spoken in Mali, include leader, main, premier, highest, superior, chief, and source. Among the Karamojong of Uganda, the word ekasikout, head, also means elder and signifies a person with great wisdom, experience, and moral influence (Pazzaglia 1982:96). These and similar associations in many other African languages shape the ways people conceptualize
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Headwear and hairstyles seem to fall more often within this latter category. In the thought and moral imagination of many societies in Africa and the African diaspora, the head itself is a potent image that plays a central role in how the person is conceptualized. Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, for example, the head is the seat of ori, personal destiny. Surrounding this “inner head,” the physical head, visible to the world, becomes the focus of many important rituals. Some rituals to the head center on the king as the embodiment of his people 's destiny. Individuals, too, perform regular rites at their own personal altars of the head (Abimbola 1973:77-85). In 1982-83, when the singer Sunny Ade experienced a serious illness, he composed the now popular song “Ja fun mi” as a supplication to his inner head (Thompson 1993:146-47). Among the Kaguru of Tanzania, the top of the head should be respected; one should avoid touching others in this spot. The head connects persons to birth and ultimately to the land of the dead (Beidelman 1993:64). Among the Kalabari Ijo of southeastern Nigeria, the head, specifically the forehead, is the locus of the spirit, teme, that controls one 's behavior (Barley 1988:16). For the Tabwa of Zaire, the center of the forehead is regarded as the seat of wisdom, prophecy, and dreams (Roberts 1990:42). Many African societies believe that intelligence resides in the head, while emotions are lodged elsewhere in the
Headwear and hairstyles seem to fall more often within this latter category. In the thought and moral imagination of many societies in Africa and the African diaspora, the head itself is a potent image that plays a central role in how the person is conceptualized. Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, for example, the head is the seat of ori, personal destiny. Surrounding this “inner head,” the physical head, visible to the world, becomes the focus of many important rituals. Some rituals to the head center on the king as the embodiment of his people 's destiny. Individuals, too, perform regular rites at their own personal altars of the head (Abimbola 1973:77-85). In 1982-83, when the singer Sunny Ade experienced a serious illness, he composed the now popular song “Ja fun mi” as a supplication to his inner head (Thompson 1993:146-47). Among the Kaguru of Tanzania, the top of the head should be respected; one should avoid touching others in this spot. The head connects persons to birth and ultimately to the land of the dead (Beidelman 1993:64). Among the Kalabari Ijo of southeastern Nigeria, the head, specifically the forehead, is the locus of the spirit, teme, that controls one 's behavior (Barley 1988:16). For the Tabwa of Zaire, the center of the forehead is regarded as the seat of wisdom, prophecy, and dreams (Roberts 1990:42). Many African societies believe that intelligence resides in the head, while emotions are lodged elsewhere in the