5. Braids

As I travel through Peru, I note how the women here dress and accessorize simply with hats and hair braiding.  Every country is different, so I find it fascinating to see the beauty routines that have been passed down for generations and become characteristic of the culture.  When I was in Ethiopia in January, I saw and photographed many different ways that female members of various tribes adorn, pierce and tattoo their bodies.  In India, I admired the women’s beauty and the way they drape their colorful saris around their bodies and decorate their hands with intricate henna tattoos.  In Morocco, henna is also prevalent, as is the tradition of women modestly covering their bodies.  Some Muslim women also wear a hijab to cover their hair.  The women of Namibia’s Himba tribe are a stark contrast to that.  The women I met there are bare-breasted, and they wear short skirts along with neck, wrist and ankle adornments.  The most significant part of their routine, though, is underneath their clothes.  The women paint themselves from head to toe with a mud mixture.  They start at the base of their braids, which they wear in big, thick bundles.  I’m reminded of their thick braids today as I meet a woman named Mana.  Through her friend who interprets, Mana tells me that she’s 80 years old and wishes she still had the thick hair of her youth.  As we talk, she plays with her braids.  I smile to myself as I think about how she, like many other elderly women I’ve seen in Peruvian villages, has added yarn to her hair to give the appearance of big braids.  Hats and unique braids are a fashion statement for the women here, and they’re still important to Mana at her old age.  I ask to take her photograph, and she looks at her friend.  “No.  I’d like to photograph you,” I say, pointing to Mana.  “Bonita.”  Surprisingly, Mana leans forward and gives me a kiss on the cheek.  “Gracias,” I say, touched by her kind gesture.  She gives me a little nod, and I bring my camera to my eye.  I’m almost ready to click the shutter when she moves her braids about an inch to the right, to make sure they are just the way she wants them.  Her friend says, “perfecto” as I take her image.  I show her the result and wait for a response.  She smiles and starts speaking rapidly in Spanish.  What is she saying?”  “She likes the photo a lot and she says it has been a very long time since she had her picture taken,” her friend replies.  Then Mana sweetly takes my hand, squeezes it and pets my hair.  No more words are spoken.  Her actions say it all…