Don’t bogart the dope, pass it over to me–what’s up with turbans? Wiki is tantalizingly short on details and the more I look into the turban, the more secrets seem to be bound up in it. Evidently, it ain’t just a funny style of ball cap.
Sikhs only? Ever removed in public? Prince Vlad is said to have “punished” some Turkish visitors for not doffing their caps when they came to call–was this indeed an insult from the Turks, or was it Vlad simply lacking the proper dope? (apart from the fact that he didn’t mind killing Turks for GP).
What are they made of, how are they put together, any symbolism attached, what else am I not asking?
I went on a field trip in university with a guy who wore a turban. We asked him some stuff about it during the trip, much of which it seems I’ve forgotten.
One thing I do remember is that while you’re supposed to make it up new every morning, that takes time your late-for-school teenager+ just doesn’t have. Like the windsor knot in your tie that’s a pain to get right at 8am, if you’re careful the night before you can just take it off and then put it back on with a few minor adjustments the next day.
I don’t have a lot of hard cites here, but since no one has replied yet, I’ll start with my general impressions.
If you consider the turban under the definition of “headgear in the form of a piece of cloth wrapped or tied around the head,” I think you’ll find widespread historical and current use of turbans throughout Asia and Africa. (And I seem to recall mediaeval art depicting the use of turbans in Europe as well.)
Most of my direct experience is of India, so I can say that for that region, at least, the use of turbans (puggree) in general is not restricted to a particular religious or ethnic group. However, the style of turban (material, size, shape, color, and wrapping technique) is often keyed to a religious, ethnic, or other subgroup.
This tendency seems to have been reinforced under the rule of the British, who were enthusiastic about creating categories and assigning attributes to those categories. British personnel themselves officially adopted the puggree in the form of bands of colored cloth tied around their solar tupis (pith helments).
The Sikhs are the most well-known group for regularly wearing turbans and their turban style is distinctive. You can tell a Sikh turban on sight. However, contrary to popular belief, the Sikh religion does not mandate the wearing of the turban. The religion does bar Sikhs (men and women equally) from cutting or trimming or shaving any of the hair on their bodies. The Sikh turban became a popular manner of dealing with the long hair and it has become a distinctive trait.
