About this collection

As hair is considered to be part of a person's essence, it is forbidden to step over hair even if it is cut and lying on the ground. It is also prohibited to wash or comb one's hair in the evening or have one's hair cut on an inauspicious day. The ritual of the first haircut, called ungn us khyachlkh or dyak avlgn, is initiated by the child's maternal uncle who cuts off the first lock. During this ritual, the handles of the scissors have to be bound with a red thread, which symbolises the perpetuation of the vital power of the child's original hair. Boys are supposed to be left with five locks: one on either side of the head, one on the crown, one on the forehead, and one at the back of the head.

Female hairstyles, by contrast, are relatively simple. Traditionally, girls had a single braid. After marriage, they divided their hair into two braids.