My grandmother used to say that when a woman felt sad the best thing she could do was braid her hair, this way the pain would be trapped between the hair and could not reach the rest of the body. You had to be careful with sadness entering the eyes for it would make them rain, it wasn't good to let it into our lips either because it would force them to say things that weren't true. Don't let it get into your hands - she told me - because you can over roast the coffee or leave the dough raw. And it is that sadness likes the bitter taste. When you feel sad my girl, braid your hair; catch the pain in the skein and let it slip away when the north wind hits hard
Our hair is a net capable of catching everything, it is strong like the roots of the ahuehuete and soft like the foam of the atole. Don't let melancholy catch you off guard, my girl, even if you are heartbroken, confused, or have cold bones due to some absence or anxiety. Don't let her get into you with your loose hair, for it will cascade down the channels that the moon has drawn between your body. Braid your sadness, she said, always braid your sadness
In Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca the indigenous continue to speak dialect, wear traditional clothing and braid hair. Although my life differs from theirs, those traditions are still practiced and taught at home one being the importance and significance of our hair. The women in my family are some of the most strongest people I know.I have witnessed the importance of having that something to hold on too when sadness decides to strike. Endless restless nights for the indigenous women for centuries but always the same healing process, “trenzarse la tristeza” (braid your sadness).