BLACK HISTORY MONTH seems hella light on the history these days so let’s throw it back with The “Canerow” Chronicles Part 1🖤 1. Koroba. A classic Irun Didi “canerowed” Yoruba style, Koroba translates into “bucket”. The shape is likened to that of a vessel for carrying liquid. One of the things that intrigued me about Koroba was it’s similarity to La Totuma, a hairstyle found in San Basilio de Palenque in Colombia. Incidentally the FIRST independent town in the America’s and founded by escaped formerly enslaved Africans in the early 1600s! This hairstyle demonstrates how West African traditions were adapted and repurposed in the “New World”. According to folklore, la totuma is inspired by an organic vase of vegetable origin used by the indigenous people to drink water from. Given koroba and la totuma’s roles as representing vessels that collect water, the historical meaning behind la totuma makes perfect sense. The inhabitants of the Palenque describe it as a hairstyle that reflected their experiences in the ‘continent that made us cry’. La Totuma is a container for tears. 2 Kolese. This is probably the standard or most recognisable form of “cane/cornrow”. In Yoruba it is called Kolese. I’ve seen some of the new “braid bars” that have sprung up in British high-streets refer to it as “The Boyfriend Braid” and other such nonsense, as they try to whitewash it’s African origins. If the objective is decolonisation, it’s important that we know how to speak of ourselves outside of the conceptual limits the English language has imposed on black people. Where we might use the generic terms cane rows or corn rows depending on U.K. / US. The overall term for the styles is Irun Didi but each “canerowed” style also has its own individual name ! Kolese translates into “ (creature) without legs”, such as a snail. The name is one that centres the specific characteristics of Afro textured hair & is in reference to the way our hair curls up at the nape of the neck when it is braided in this direction. If you attempt this style and your hair cannot achieve the curl up at the end ie straighter/ looser textures, then it is not Kolese. #blackhistorymonth