Braids. They are an easy, go-to style to up chicness, comfort, and convenience. However,\u00a0for some escaped slaves in South America, braids were a survival mechanism and led to freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n Slaves may have been prevented from reading, writing, and communicating with one another; however, because we\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0a crafty people we found another way to communicate and find liberation.<\/span><\/p>\n With our hair.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Ethiopia, Omo Delta. A Dassanech girl braids her sister’s hair at her village in the Omo Delta.<\/strong><\/span> San Basilio de Palenque is a village in Northern Colombia that was founded by\u00a0Benkos Biho. It is believed to be the first\u00a0freed slave city of the Americas.<\/span><\/p>\n Benkos Biho was pretty much the Harriet Tubman of South America. Not only did he found San Basilio de Palenque and then develop a language for the village, but according to\u00a0the Bearded Gringo<\/a>, a travel blog,<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBenkos Biho also formed an army and an intelligence network to help organize the escape of other slaves and to guide them to liberated areas.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Writing (if they even possessed that skill) or drawing out the map could lead to them being discovered and then most likely sold again, or killed out of anger from their master. How could they move and plan covertly with minimal risk of being discovered?<\/span><\/p>\n The women would weave the maps in their hair, carving out paths with their cornrows. Some patterns were even utilized to deliver secret messages.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"braids](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/hello-beautiful.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>
Source: John Warburton-Lee \/ Getty<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/a>
\nAccording to multiple sources, Benkos was a king in Africa who was sold into slavery. He would be sold several more times before escaping to start this village that in turn, would serve as refuge and safety for other escaped slaves.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nToday, the\u00a0village has about 3,500 inhabitants<\/a>\u00a0and is the only city founded by escaped slaves, that is still standing in Colombia. Most of the population are Afro-Colombians, with African heritage that can be traced back to the slave trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nHe then took his intelligence network and stealth to the next level by utilizing women and capitalizing on the fact they were not often checked upon and allowed to wander more freely than men, to his advantage. While the women slaves were \u201cwandering,\u201d in fact, they were mapping out escape routes, the Bearded Gringo reports.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/a>June 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n