Head tie

The Torah commands the Kohein to take various steps to demonstrate that the sotah has deviated from the modest and loyal path of most married Jewish women (Rashi 5:15-27).

Among the procedures, the pasuk clearly states: "ufora es rosh haisha..." and he shall uncover the hair of the head of the woman (5:18).

[1] Among Christian women in certain parts of the world, such as Africa and the Caribbean, the head tie is worn as a headcovering in obedience to 1 Corinthians 11:4–13.

[2] There are varying traditional names for headties in different countries, which include: moussor (Senegal), gele (Nigeria), duku (Malawi, Ghana), dhuku (Zimbabwe), tukwi (Botswana), doek (South Africa, Namibia)[3] and tignon (United States)[4] Jewish women refer to their head ties as a tichel or mitpachat.

In South Africa and Namibia, the Afrikaans word doek (meaning "cloth") is used for the traditional head covering used among most elderly local women in rural areas.

Urban women with plaited hair also wear a duku when visiting rural areas out of cultural respect.

[11] According to Professor Hlonipha Mokoena of the Witwatersrand Institute for Social and Economic Research,[12] historically the doek or headscarf was imposed on black women in many colonies by convention or by law as a way to control the sensuality and exoticism that "confused" white men.