the.com/bandana
a square of fabric that's been outlaw, cowboy, biker, and surgeon's mask alike
means A large square of cloth, usually patterned, that you tie around your head, neck, or face for style, warmth, or to keep the dust and sweat out.
from The word rode in from Hindi 'bandhnu' (or Urdu 'bandhna'), meaning 'to tie' — and it referred specifically to a dyeing technique where the cloth is tied off in knots before dipping, so the bound spots resist the dye and bloom into those classic spotted, swirling patterns. English picked it up in the 18th century through trade with India, keeping both the knotted fabric and, eventually, the act of tying it on.
- name origin
- from Hindi 'bandhana,' meaning to tie
- paisley pattern
- the teardrop swirl traveled from Persia and India
- color code
- colors signaled gang affiliation in certain neighborhoods
- dust defense
- cowboys wore them against trail dust, not for style
- miner roots
- red ones marked striking workers, birthing 'redneck'
do-rag — fabric head wrap worn in hip-hop culture since the 1990s, particularly associated with west coast rap
durags — silk or velvet bandanas wrapped around head to maintain wave patterns in black hair, popularized in the 1990s-2000s
paisley bandana — tupac's signature red bandana worn in the 1990s, became iconic symbol of west coast hip-hop culture