Did you know Cornrows were used to help enslaved Africans and enslaved descendants escape slavery?
They used cornrows to transfer information and create maps to the North. Since enslaved people were not allowed to read or write, they passed information through cornrows.
It's believed to have originated in Columbia, South Carolina, where Benkos Bioho, in the late 1500s came up with the idea to have women create maps and deliver messages through their cornrows. They were also called "canerows," to represent the sugarcane fields slaves worked.
One style had curved braids, tightly braided on their heads. The curved braids would represent the roads they'd use to escape. Also, in their braids--they kept gold and hid seeds, which helped them survive after they escaped. They would use the seeds to plant crops once they were liberated.
Cornrows were the best way to keep the slaveowners from becoming suspicious. They would never figure out that this hairstyle meant their slaves could escape and map out the route they would take.
Comments