To Cut My Son's Hair

I was taught not to cut my children's hair. "Their hair represents knowledge," my dad once said.

Diné people believe a baby's hair should not be cut until he/she can speak in words, or at the very least, when they can speak more than goos and ga-gas.

I cut my daughter's hair once she was able to speak using words. I was hesitant to just trim her ends of her hair and bangs. "If you cut your baby's hair, she'll have a difficult time speaking," I was told.

Naturally, I feared this saying.

Now my son's hair has grown over his ears and is sitting at the bottom of his neck. People have thought he was a girl. "He's a boy," I corrected their comments.

My son is an Indian boy. A Diné boy. My son is going to have long hair.

Long ago, Indian people all wore their hair long, in braids, and Diné people wore their hair in buns. We were proud of it.

Today, I see the importance of the Diné belief about cutting our hair. Our hair is our part of our identity, and I ask myself, why would I cut off my son's hair if it is to represent what he will know and who he will become?

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Read Christie Cooke's previous Native Moms blog, "Baby Blues Part II"

Christie Cooke, Navajo, has a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona. She is a graduate of the Freedom Forum's 2007 American Indian Journalism Institute.

To send Christie Cooke a message please click here

keep his hair long !

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2008-05-22 09:11.

I am a unenrolled Cherokee Non freedman african American white, I am not a mom so I can't relate to what she is going through , only mothers , grandmothers, step mothers ,foster mothers adopted mothers could understand what Christie is going through. However If I was ever a mother I would keep my child's hair long and let all the idots be damned! way to go Christie keep your sons hair long . and wa'do thank you for your wonderful article you are going to help alot of people in Indian Country more than you ever know. and best wishes to you your family and all of the Dine Nation.sandra beasley

feel good

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2008-05-23 00:51.

Hi from Germany,

good article!
We used to have a proverb in Germany when I was younger: "Long hair, as all known, means short mind."
I think it was common at the time when the youngsters started to let their hair grow long in the late sixties. My brother nearly got the hair cut at school. It was a lot of trouble. Than later the whole society got used to that and today even bankers are accepted with an horse tile. But today people with long hair are not the mainstream.
People should do what the want with their hair or beard. But if some fashion becomes compulsory, like the beards of the Muslims is something wrong.

I unfortunately have lost nearly all my hair but now I am kind of proud of my balded head.
Be happy with your hair! Of course the child too!

Alfonso

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