All About Bantu

Today, many people are talking about wearing a Bantu Knots as a style for naturalistas. But today I am going to share some of the origins of Bantu Knots that most people are maybe unaware of. 

Jo Marie: An official KCBC model

Bantu knots is a hairstyle used for maintenance by many woman and girls in Africa and the Caribbean. However, it appears to me that not may people knew or were interested in the hairstyle until the 20th century natural hair movement. Now personally, I have knows about Bantu knots all my life but I never liked the idea of these little balls on my head. I think only because of this strong natural hair movement filled with cheerleaders and persons who are focused on ensuring that you accept your natural hair, that I began wearing my Bantu knots out.

 "Bantu knots also known as Zulu knots are created when the hair is sectioned off and twisted into knots. The shapes of the sections depend on how the hair is parted, and can easily be made into diamond, triangle or square shapes, but the possibilities are endless. This hairstyle can be worn on any hair type and any hair length, although it is popular among people of African descent.”
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The word Bantu was first used by Wilhelm Bleek (1827-1875). Bleek was a linguist born in Germany.  His dad was a professor of Theology at Berlin University and Bonn University. Bleek graduated from the University of Bonn in 1851 with a doctorate in linguistic. He studied Hebrew before falling in love with African languages. He moved and lived in South Africa and spent most of his life there researching and investigating the languages. It’s in Cape Town that he met his wife Jemina Llyod.  His wife did with him much of his researches and continued alone after his death. He actually died in South Africa and was buried in Cape Town.  See!!! Now you know about the man who was the first to use the word BANTU!

Now I know you guys get bored of the history and stuff... lol... So I will just leave you with some names that Bantu knots are also known by. 


Janx - Trinidad

Pepperseed - Trinidad 

Cork Screws - Barbados

DoDo - Nigeria

Nubian Knots - United States

Zulu Knots - South Africa

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed and you learned something! 

"BEAUTY IS NOT IN THE FACE; BUT IN THE LIGHT OF THE HEART"