The Tignon Law
Exploring how this Sumptuary Law tried to taint a cultural and religious fashion trend
"What yo' wore on yo' haid was a cap made out of scraps of cloth dey wove in de loom..." Charlie Hudson. Born in 1858 & enslaved in Georgia.
The Tignon Law set the standards for the indoctrination, misconception, stigmas, and appropriation of Black hair as well as the cultural origin and meaning of headwraps in African communities. However, this Law not only symbolized systemic humiliation, prejudice, and oppression but also Black women’s resilience, and creativity. Their unwavering beauty and femininity as well as their determination to maintain their cultural roots by passing on through generations the true cultural symbol of headwraps.
The Origin of the Headwraps
According to the JD Institute of Fashion Technology, the origin of Headwraps dates back to the early 1700s in Sub-Saharan Africa. Soon after, the Nubian queens in Egypt began to practice the fashion trends. Depending on the culture, family practices, as well as social or marital status the headwraps had a distinct style or color that communicated such. The headwraps were also known to be used to protect the head from the Saharan sun and to maintain certain hairstyles overnight. They were known by many other names such as 'Duka' in Ghana, 'Gele' in Nigeria, and 'Doek' in South Africa. These were also known as Nems among the Egyptian royals.
19th Century Tignon Wearing Women of Color.
What are Sumptuary Laws?
According to Webster (n.d), the Sumptuary Law is “1. a law common in the 13th to 15th centuries to prevent extravagance in private life by limiting expenditure for clothing, food, and furniture: 2. designed to regulate habits primarily on moral or religious grounds but regarded as justified under the police power of the state.”
Enslaved women wearing head wraps in St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1850. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Sumptuary Laws in the USA
Though Sumptuary laws date back to Ancient Greece and Rome, limiting people of the lower social class from dressing and living in affluent conditions, this law became more popular when it began to facilitate political and religious officials with the freedom to create and decree discriminatory laws that often targeted and prevented Black individuals from acquiring opulent goods and dressing in quality clothing.
Creole in a Red Headdress. Jacques Aman 1840.
The Tignon Law
For instance, take the Tignon Law, a Sumptuary law decreed by Governor Don Estevan Miro of New Orleans in 1786 which demanded “that women of African descent, slave or free, should cover their hair and heads with a knotted headdress and refrain from excessive attention to dress.” (The Wrap Life, n.d). According to Sybil Klein (2000), the Tignon law would control women “who had become too light skinned or who dressed too elegantly, or who, in reality, competed too freely with white women for status and thus threatened the social order.” (p. 62).
Black Women’s Response to the Tignon Law
Though Black women followed the Tignon Law, they had a creative and radical way to respond by doing what they originally used to do for many years in their culture. They would use vibrant colored fabric and decorate them with jewelry, beads, and other accents. They would also wrap these in many stylish and exotic ways that still attracted a lot of attention. We understand that a woman’s hair can enhance her femininity. However, these women used their creativity and their rich cultural knowledge to let their feminine side live freely through the artistic enhancement of these beautiful headwraps.
Today
The (CROWN) Act of 2022, which was passed for the purpose of Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, was first introduced on March 19, 2021, then the House of Representatives passed the bill by 235–189 on March 18, 2022. This law was passed to protect women of color from being forced to abide by discriminatory policies in the workplace banning them from wearing their stylish headwraps, natural hair, and cultural hairstyles. However, the law did not pass the Senate. According to The Crown Act, 23 states have adopted the new law.
Beyonce wearing a head wrap. Image featured in her coffee table book, Lemonade.
Black women wear these beautiful wraps in many artistic ways for casual use, religious gatherings, and other events. Headwraps make them feel empowered and beautiful. Many black celebrities creating cultural and social symbolic fashion statements wear a Tignon Wrap. For instance, Beyoncé released a 600-page Coffee Table Book called How to Make Lemonade, where she appears to be wearing a Tignon headwrap as a reference to the Tignon laws of Louisiana, to create recognition and celebrate black women.
Reference
Chenier, C. (2019, March 25). The tignon law: How Black women formed decor out of oppression. NOIR ’N NOLA. Retrieved February 1, 2023. https://www.noirnnola.com/post/the-tignon-law-how-black-women-formed-decor-from-oppression
Clothing and Accessory. (2022, July 15). Best Fabric to Buy For African Headwraps. Kitenge Store. https://kitengestore.com/best-fabric-buy-african-headwraps/
JD Institute of Fashion Technology. (2023, June 23). HEADWRAPS: History and evolution. https://www.jdinstitute.edu.in/headwraps-history-and-evolution/
Exhibit Laws Harvard. (n.d.). Sumptuous origins. Exhibit Addenda. Retrieved February 1, 2024. https://exhibits.law.harvard.edu/sumptuous-origins
Kein, Sybil, ed. (2000). Creole: the history and legacy of Louisiana's free people of color. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8071-4205-9. OCLC 703156104.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Sumptuary law. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sumptuary%20law
The Wrap Life. (n.d). What Is Tignon Law? The Wrap Life. Retrieved February 1, 2024. https://thewrap.life/blogs/journal/what-is-tignon-law
Okwodu, J. (2017, August 17). Beyoncé just released the most stylish 600-page coffee table book. Vogue. Retrieved February 1, 2024. https://www.vogue.com/article/beyonce-how-to-make-lemonade-vogue-exclusive
