Cornrows

[5] The name cornrows refers to the layout of crops in corn and sugar cane fields in the Americas and Caribbean,[1][6] where enslaved Africans were displaced during the Atlantic slave trade.

[12] Often favored for their easy maintenance, cornrows can be left in for weeks at a time if maintained through careful washing of the hair and natural oiling of the scalp.

[13] Modern cornrows originated in Africa,[1] where they likely developed in response to the unique textures of African hair,[14][15] and have held significance for different cultures throughout recorded history.

[16][17][18] Early depictions of women with what appear to be cornrows have been found in Stone Age paintings in the Tassili Plateau of the Sahara, and have been dated as far back as 3000 B.C.

In 19th century Ethiopia, male warriors and kings such as Tewodros II and Yohannes IV were depicted wearing braided hairstyles, including the shuruba.

Just as important is the act of braiding, which passes on cultural values between generations, expresses bonds between friends, and establishes the role of professional practitioner.

[31] Since the early 5th century B.C., Ancient Greek and Roman art shows men and women with a characteristic melon coiffure, especially in the "Oriental Aphrodite" tradition, which may be confused with cornrows.

[6] As in Africa, grooming was a social activity for Black people on the American plantations; the enslaved Africans were reported helping each other style their hair into a wide variety of appearances.

"[42] Hairstyles were so characteristic of a person, even when their appearance and behaviour was otherwise heavily regulated, that they were often used to identify runaways, and enslaved Africans sometimes had their hair shaved as a form of punishment.

In the 2000s, some athletes wore cornrows, including NBA basketball players Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Latrell Sprewell.

[48] Some female mixed martial artists have chosen to wear cornrows for their fights as it prevents their hair from obscuring their vision as they move.

The school claimed this was part of its policy mandating "short back and sides" haircuts, and banning styles that might be worn as indicators of gang membership.

However, the court ruled that the student was expressing a tradition and that such policies, while possibly justifiable in certain cases (e.g. skinhead gangs), had to accommodate reasonable racial diversities and cultural practices.