Igbo women often dress their hair in elaborate and beautiful
styles for special occasions. Following
is a drawing of women’s special hairstyles from the 1920s through the 1970s:
Women’s hairstyles
Children’s hair is often shaved in patterns for special occasions,
such as festivals:
Shaved hairstyle of young Etche
boy, 1966
Achebe’s story describes a beautiful young woman about to be
married. Cam wood is rubbed into her
skin to make it glow. Black patterns
are drawn on her skin in a technique called uli. Her hair is dressed in a crest in the middle of her head (note several
of the styles in the hairstyle drawing above).
Uli can be drawn on women or men, but it is done by women. Certain plant seeds are crushed to make a liquid that is brown as it goes on, and then it dries to dark blue (Achebe called it black in his story). There are various traditional uli patterns, but they are chosen and adjusted by the skill of the artist to enhance the individual person who is drawn upon. Uli is temporary – it is not a permanent marking, like a tattoo. Uli is generally done for special occasions. Below is a photo of a girl being drawn upon with uli:
Girl being drawn upon with uli,
photo taken in 1983
The photo below shows a titled man with uli patterns that are
finished and dry. The uli pattern was
drawn to celebrate his new title.
Titled man with uli patterns, photo taken 1983