Tignon

A tignon (also spelled and pronounced tiyon) is a type of headcovering—a large piece of material tied or wrapped around the head to form a kind of turban that somewhat resembles the West African gele.

It was worn by Creole women of African descent in Louisiana beginning in the Spanish colonial period, and continuing to a lesser extent to the present day.

This headdress was the result of sumptuary laws passed in 1786 under the administration of Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miró.

Called the tignon laws, they prescribed and enforced oppressive public dress for female gens de couleur in colonial society.

The bright reds, blues, and yellows of the scarves, and the imaginative wrapping techniques employed by their wearers, are said to have enhanced the beauty of the women of color.