Hair in the society of Kalash

Hair in the society of Kalash 

 The men: The Kalash men earlier had a long plait on the top of the head - a common Kafir feature, also in Nuristan. The Kalash men were also bearded. Buda, who is the grandfather of a 33 year old and so may be about 75-80 years old told me: "I cut off my plait, when I was a young man, but before I had children". Old man Dak'tar from Boraburet told me: "The Muslims seized out plaits, when they wanted to convert us. So we cut off our plaits" Old man Baraman, the big Quasi of Rumbour still has a symbolic hair tuft on his crown, where his plait grew before. The plait tradition is also - like the traditional costume - kept alive on a few small boys, who have a long fine plait hanging from their shaved heads.

Jellaba.d's plait is tied around his head and is to be cut off, before he undergoes the trouser dressing ceremony. Nowadays many boys have their heads shaved in summer, or if the lice become too numerous. When they grow up they have a normal haircut. Except for some few very old men, who probably have difficulty in shaving the Kalash men are shaven. In this way they distinguish themselves from the surrounding Muslims, among whom a big beard is often a sign of strong faith. The Kalash men only let their beard grow, when in mourning. The women: Buda told me: "Before, the women had only one plait at the front. Then somebody "invented" the 4 other plaits, and all the women started to braid their hair in that way - I don't know, when it happened." It is obvious, that the front plait is very important - the true Kafir symbol: It is started upon the forehead of the small girls as soon as they become true Kalash i.e. receive their first Kupas at the age of 3-4 years. After that the front plait is never cut off, although the heat or the lice make the mother shave the girls head. That the front plait is a Kafir symbol is also seen, in case a Kalash woman converts to Islam. Her front plait is unraveled, and the woman divides her hair above her forehead and maybe braids it in two small plaits at the temples before the hair reaches the 2 side plaits. When a little girl grows a little older - maybe at the age of 5-6 years - she starts to grow another plait at the back of the crown. When she reaches the age of 8-10 years, she starts to grow the side plaits. If a bigger girl is asked about her age, she sometimes judges it from the length of her plaits. All the women braid their hair in 5 plaits - 2 on each side and 1 above the forehead. 

The making of the plaits is a very pragata act so it can only be done at or below the special washing place for the women at the riverside (recently replaced by special houses, where the women can be undisturbed).

 For washing their hair and making the plaits stiff and shiny, the women use sitjin'rion - a resin-like substance excreted from a tree with red edible fruits (Saponaria family). The women pick the substance from bark cracks and keep it carefully. Small boys also search for it the please their mothers. The amber-coloured sitjin'non is crushed on a stone and mixed with water till it becomes a foamy paste. The hair is unraveled and the fine partings are made. Then the hair for the front plait is tied into a knot above the forehead, and the other 4 plaits are braided smeared in sitiin'rion, while the hair is still wet. At last, the front plait is done - often starting with small plaits from each side. The hair tufts are braided with 3 thick woolen threads at the end.

Finally the front plait is turned to the right - over the ear, under the shu'shut or tied around the head. It is of great importance, that the braiding is done in the correct way, if not, every woman comments on it. The braiding is done by turning the tufts from the front to the backside. The middle tuft must turn to the right in the front plait and the right side plaits and to the left on the left side plaits The women wash and braid their hair every few days: 4 days, if the woman is young and most interested in her looks, whereas elder women maybe do it every 6 days. It is also done, when a woman washes herself and leaves the Bashali. Even when living in the summer places high up the valley the women walk all the way down to the washing place to do it. As the act is pragata and so harmful to the higher parts of the valley. The women like this little break from the hard work in the fields - they pass the village and can hear the news. Everybody comments, when she returns: “Oh, now you have braided your hair, an important act has been done.” As the braiding is pragata. it is prohibited during the pure period after the purification of the women (done on a special day of Chaomos - the day before the children receive the traditional dresses). When a woman gets very old and her legs get too weak to walk all the way down to the washing place, he cuts off her plaits and again has very short hair as at the beginning of her life. The women's body hair is plucked. It is also done by the Muslims, as they consider body hair impure. 

 1 Sperber Glavind, Brigitte, 1990. Kalash: Dresses, Body Decorations and Textile Techniques. In Proceedings of the Second International Hindu Kush Cultural Conference, pp 39-41