Besides those who wear dreadlocks as a choice hairstyle, there are children born with dreadlocks and who must live with it until a certain age. People have often thought that the dreadlocks hair as worn by kids is linked to a traditional practice among one of Nigeria’s biggest ethnic groups, the Yoruba’s. It is particularly common among members of a church, the Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Christ whose congregation is predominantly Yoruba’s. This is more so because the Cherubim and Seraphim Church has often been seen as a hybrid religion that combines Christianity and a traditional African religion like the worship of sango (god of thunder), ogun (god of iron), esilouku (god of water) etc
The Cherubim and Seraphim church was founded by a Yoruba man, named Moses Orimolade Tunolase at Ikare, Ondo State in South Western Nigeria in June 1925. Though the church later spread to other parts of the world, its Nigerian congregation has largely remained Yoruba. According to Special Apostle S A Adeniran who heads one of the biggest Cherubim and Seraphim Churches in Jos Nigeria, Tunolase started performing miracles in the womb of his mother. The mother had gone to the bush to gather firewood. She could not lift the pack of wood she had gathered and the fetus in her womb assisted. After he was born, Tunolase started seeing revelations. He continued performing miracles and subsequently founded the church. Church members of the Cherubim and Seraphim must wear white garments with a red girdle and must enter the place of worship barefooted.
Origin of Misunderstanding
Members of the early churches in black Africa as a whole were former members of traditional religious groups. The early generation of converts never shook off the manner of worshiping a god to any reasonable degree. Changing from a traditional African worship to a church was just a change of the Supreme Being that was been worshiped. The manner of asking for favour, forgiveness or exultation of the Supreme Being may not have changed much. It was difficult to draw a distinct dividing line between the traditionalist and Christians. Thus the only way the semblance of traditional Yoruba practice could have been expunged from the church would have been through converts from other tribes or through later generation of members.
Other tribes in Nigeria have often accused the Yorubas of closing their doors to against them especially on issues that started among the Yorubas or where the Yorubas have a numerical advantage. The decades that passed from the time the church was founded to the present also could not change the church as later generation of Yoruba descendants who are educated prefer more ‘liberal’ churches and turned away from the Cherubim and Seraphim church making it possible for the old ways to carry on. The solitary posture of the church for decades has thus compelled the outside world to believe that dreadlocks kids as commonly seen with members of the church is a result of a demand of a certain traditional practice.
Adeniran explained that the white attire of its members is meant to discourage ostentation, which is satanic. He defended coming to church barefooted by citing the example of Moses whom God commanded to remove his sandals, as the place where he stood was hallowed and kids with dreadlocks are not peculiar to the church as it is a universal thing.
The families of S A Adeniran himself, Mr. And Mrs. Azi Musa, Isaac Oyegbemi, Ajiboye Olanipesegun and Jesse Dariya are all parents of children with dreadlocks. While Adeniran, Oyegbemi, Olanipesegun are all Yorubas and worship at the Cherubim and Seraphim, the Musa and Dariya families are from Plateau and Kaduna respectively and have nothing to do with the Cherubim and Seraphim Church
Dreadlocks Among Children Is Natural
Dreadlocks is hair that can be grown by refusing to cut or brush the hair. Kids usually seen with the hair are actually born with hair that has the strong tendency to lock on its own. According to parents of such children, you know the hair is supposed to be allowed to grow into locks when the hair relocks a few minutes after combing, or the child cries and gets feverish when the hair is cut. Apostle Adeniran says his church decides on cutting the hair or not after revelations that follow prayers.
Strength of Dreadlocks Kids
Dreadlocks kids are unique. According to Mr. and Mrs. Musa raising such children has enabled them to learn certain qualities about them. Usually children learn to crawl and then walk. Their dreadlocks children never crawled. They just started by standing and then walking. The extra-ordinary strength of such children could also be seen when they fight their peers. They win. The dreadlock duo of Samson, 11 and Francis, 9 are children of Mr. and Mrs. Musa Azi. Samson was a toddler when Francis was born. One morning when Mrs. Musa was bathing the newborn, Samson mumbled some toddler jargon to suggest that his new brother is also a dreadlock. It turns out to be true. At one time one of Samson’s locks hung across the forehead, opening like the fingers at the end. While the child played outside an unknown person cut that very rope of hair. The result weakened the boy such that boys he had beaten before could beat him
Cutting the Hair
The age of cutting the hair varies from two to as long as fifteen years at times. In some cases the hair may simply begin to fall on its own. In other cases the child would tell the parents that he wants the hair to be cut. In spiritual circles like the Cherubim and Seraphim it comes after a divine revelation.
