Ashanti combs
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African hair combs span a period of around 6000 years. The combs in the Black Cultural Archive collection were brought together from many different African cultures.
The elaborate hairstyles on many West African sculptures suggest that people used combs and picks from ancient Kemet to the Nok civilisation in southern Nigeria[1]. In the Akan culture, combs are obtained as gifts from admirers or presented at marriage. Bridal combs were prestigious objects and used to adorn the home and depending on a woman’s wealth or beauty she might own three or four.
[1] Origins of the Afro Comb: 6,000 years of culture, politics and identity Fitzwilliam Museum
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