National Museum of African American History and Culture

Errata - Jan 2 1:45 PM EST: In a previous version, the image was inconsistent with the copy-able text. The image has been fixed.

The social meaning encoded into braids’ multiple layers brings with it centuries of accumulated information, beliefs, and practices. Braiding operates as a bridge spanning the distance between the past, present, and future. It creates a tangible, material thread connecting people often separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years.

Emma Dabiri, Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture

braids

Copy-able Text

dididi
dydydy
ououou
knknkn
owowow
cootihnha
rnnepdtur
corilaoar
iewnnehwl
gnyuqgias
oisdeueri
iursoesva
unhdhisoe
aidtianic
ivdearlta
niecngome
fyoaodeve
riuiinmne
bangsnnts
iihsddane
esltttrme
inhabaece
eworrkorb
adrwtwnro
tsbylwhad
rtfieleoi
sanvtorre