Folasade Scott, who took her mother's (Anana) online African Threadwrapping course and wrapped some of her own hair; Anana's mother Bessie West. Ms. West's grandmother used to wrap her hair with cotton stocking strips. Photo courtesy of Anana Clark.
Anana Rukiya Clark
African Threadwrapping
Anana Rukiya Clark was introduced to the traditional art of African Threadwrapping over 40 years ago by another natural hair artist, Nawili, who was taught by Malikia, Stevie Wonder’s braider. Nawili inspired Clark’s love affair with threadwrapping, but Clark taught herself the art by practicing with her daughter until she perfected her skills. Clark and Nawili have remained friends, sharing their ever-evolving expressions of threadwrapping with one another. Clark has also traveled to Mississippi to hear elders’ experiences with sitting for their mothers or grandmothers to have their hair groomed and wrapped with cotton stocking strips. She was and still is completely enthralled by the history of the art carried into this country.
Anana Clark braids musician Goapele’s hair in 2012.
Apprenticeship Program
2022
with apprentice Nailah Franklin
From this apprenticeship, Nailah Franklin will develop the skills (basic to advanced techniques of patch and scalp wrapping) and hair designs needed to threadwrap both her own hair and a live model’s. Throughout this process, Clark will share knowledge, gained through her travels to the South and to Africa, of how African Threadwrapping was used in both places, as well as the historical traditions of hair design as it relates to age and status in African society.
