Haile Selassie was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Their dreadlocks were inspired by the Nazarites of the Bible. Rastafari hold that Haile Selassie is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, through their son Menelik I. Rastafari movement dreadlocks are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes centered on the Ethiopian flag. The Kapalikas, first commonly referenced in the 6th century CE, were known to wear Jaṭā as a form of deity imitation of the deva Bhairava- Śiva. The practice of Jaṭā (dreadlocks) is practiced in modern day Hinduism, most notably by Sadhus who follow Śiva. 1.4.15 of the Hevajra Tantra states that the practitioner of particular ceremonies "should arrange his piled up hair" as part of the ceremonial protocol. For Buddhists of these particular sects and degrees of initiation, their locked hair is not only a symbol of their vows but an embodiment of the particular powers they are sworn to carry. The most recognizable of these groups are known as the Ngagpas of Tibet. Within Tibetan Buddhism and other more esoteric forms of Buddhism, locks have occasionally been substituted for the more traditional shaved head. In North Central Australia, the tradition is for the dreadlocks to be greased with fat and coated with red ochre, which assists in their formation. Traditionally, some wear the dreadlocks loose, while others wrap the dreadlocks around their heads, or bind them at the back of the head. Some Indigenous Australians of North West and North Central Australia have historically worn their hair in a locked style, sometimes also having long beards that are fully or partially locked.
In Nigeria, dreadlocks are viewed in a negative light due to their stereotypical association with gangs and criminal activity men with dreadlocks face profiling from Nigerian police. Maasai warriors are known for their long, thin, red dreadlocks, dyed with red root extracts or red ochre. Their use has also been raised in debates about cultural appropriation. Locks have been worn for various reasons in each culture.
The Polish plait can vary between one large plait and multiple plaits that resemble dreadlocks. Zygmunt Gloger in his Encyklopedia staropolska mentions that the Polish plait ( plica polonica) hairstyle was worn by some people in the Pinsk region and the Masovia region at the beginning of the 19th century. Larry Wolff in his book Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of Enlightenment mentions that in Poland, for about a thousand years, some people wore a knotted hairstyle similar to that of some Scythians. Warriors among the Fulani, Wolof and Serer in Mauritania, and Mandinka in Mali were known for centuries to have worn cornrows when young and dreadlocks when old. Cheikh Ibra Fall, founder of the Baye Fall school of the Mouride Brotherhood, popularized the style by adding a mystic touch to it.
In Senegal, the Baye Fall, followers of the Mouride movement, a Sufi movement of Islam founded in 1887 AD by Shaykh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke, are famous for growing dreadlocks and wearing multi-colored gowns. Some authors have speculated that the "dread" component could refer to the reaction of British soldiers upon encountering Mau Mau fighters who had this hairstyle. The history of the name "dreadlocks" is unclear. However, braids are not dreadlocks, and it is not always possible to tell from these images which are being depicted. ĭuring the Bronze Age and Iron Age many peoples in the Near East, Anatolia, Caucasus, East Mediterranean and North Africa such as the Sumerians, Elamites and Ancient Egyptians were depicted in art with braided or plaited hair and beards. Mummified remains of Egyptians with locked wigs have also been recovered from archaeological sites. In ancient Egypt, examples of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles and wigs have appeared on bas-reliefs, statuary and other artifacts. Frescoes discovered on the Aegean island of Thera (modern Santorini, Greece) depict individuals with long braided hair or long dreadlocks.
Some of the earliest depictions of dreadlocks date back as far as 1600–1500 BCE in the Minoan Civilization, one of Europe's earliest civilizations, centred in Crete (now part of Greece). Young boxers with long dreadlocks depicted on a fresco from Akrotiri (modern Santorini, Greece) 1600–1500 BCE