The History of Cornrow and Its Hidden Mathematical Geometry

                                                           

Every row in this image serves not only as a stunning representation of fashion but also reflects mathematical concepts like scaling, recursion, and spiralling. Cornrow has significant cultural roots in African tradition, tracing back to ancient Egypt around 3000 BC. The Yoruba term for cornrows in Nigeria is “Irun Didi” although I know it as Adi-mole. It reflects cultural importance, symbolizing social status and identity, with assorted styles denoting rank and wealth (Tabitha Ajao,2022).

Although the hairdo is worn by all genders in the 21st century, history tells us that it evolved during the transatlantic slave trade, where it was used as a means by enslaved Africans to maintain their cultural heritage and communicate discreet acts. It represents not only aesthetic beauty but also a rich narrative of resilience.

This article discusses the cultural significance of cornrow hairstyles in African traditions and their relation to mathematics through ethnomathematics, a term introduced by Ubiratan D’Ambrosio in 1977. It highlights how mathematics is inferred from cultural practices and history. It is beautifully connected with fractal geometry because when braiding hair into cornrows, you section it into three parts and weave it together. This process reflects the self-similar nature of fractals, blending artistry with mathematical concepts.

                                          

 As Benoît Mandelbrot (1989) noted, Fractals are patterns that repeat at different scales; they are complex and endlessly duplicate patterns throughout nature, evident in various forms, from trees to coastlines.

                                                              

This highlights the intriguing relationship between cultural expression and mathematical principles, thereby revealing the connections between art and the foundations of mathematics.

In their research, Eglash & Odumosu (2005) demonstrate how African architectural designs and numerical systems in local games illustrate patterns of fractal geometry. For instance, in Baila village, Zambia, the circular livestock pen in the front entrance for livestock symbolize the lower rank, and the larger family homes at the back indicate a higher status. This design visually represents the social hierarchy within the community, as depicted in the image.

        

From his book, Eglash (1999), took a photo showing Logone-Birni, Cameroun, using the method “architecture by accretion,”. The Kotoko people created large rectangular building complexes from local clay, beginning with the chief's palace (Miarre) as the central structure. They added rectangular enclosures to existing ones, resulting in larger buildings. 


Furthermore, He highlights the fractal qualities in numerical systems with traditional games like Owari in Ghana. Here, players describe a “marching group” pattern, where counters in cups decrease systematically (4-3-2-1). By redistributing counters from the largest cup, the arrangement shifts rightward and replicates itself. This iterative process reveals the fractal nature of the game.                                                 

In consistency with the patterns already noted, cornrows show that fractal geometry occurs when the process of braiding repeats itself by making smaller patterns within bigger ones, showing the same pattern at different sizes and curves and displaying spiral forms as seen in galaxies.  Altogether, they all showcase that Africa has ethnomathematics strongly rooted in its activities and structure.

                                                               References

Ajao, T. (2022). Black History Month 2022: The History Behind Cornrows. Beds SU, 7.

Cornrows. (2025, November 22). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornrows

Eglash, R. (1999). African fractals: Modern computing and indigenous design.

Eglash, R., & Odumosu, T. B. (2005). Fractals, complexity, and connectivity in Africa. What mathematics from Africa, 4, 101-9.

Eglash, R. (2007, December 7). The fractals at the heart of African designs [TED Talk]. TED Conferences.https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_eglash_the_fractals_at_the_heart_of_african_designs

Google. (2025). Interest over time: Cornrows. Google Trends. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore

Mandelbrot, B. B. (1989). Fractals and an Art for the Sake of Science. Leonardo, 22(5), 21-24.



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