The American Tale of the History of Bandanas

The bandana is an iconic accessory in the American wardrobe. What do you think of when you think of the bandana? A few of these words may come to mind. Red bandana, paisley pattern, cowboy, the Wild West, rebellion, act of defiance, popular culture, the hip hop movement, the hippy movement, American freedom and the list goes on. The truth is that the bandana had a part to play in all of these events throughout not only American history, but world history too.

This is a series about American western wear where I will be covering the history of American blue jeans, cowboy hats, cowboy boots and bandanas. Let’s dive in and take a look at the American tale of the history of bandanas.

The beginning of the bandana

The bandana first came on the scene thousands of years ago during the Greek and Roman era. Reminants were found of a square piece of cloth that resembled the bandanas of today. In the late 17th century in the Middle East and Southern Asia, the bandana made another appearance. This time it is being dyed with indigenous plants and printed on with inked square blocks. The word bandana originated from this area as well and through the Sanskrit word urdu ‘bāndhnū meaning “to bind” or “to tie” the word bandana was born.

The paisley print we know and think of today originated from the inspiration of Indian pine cone in part of the Persian Empire. The word “Boteh” has several meanings, including shrub, bramble, herb, flower bud etc. Some even think of it as a tear drop or cluster of palm leafs.

The popularization of the bandana

The popularization of the bandana spread to Europe in the eighteenth century and was shipped by the Dutch east India company. What we know today of the 20″ x 20″ cotton bandana looked a little different in eighteenth century Europe. For a time, bandanas were worn as elegant, paisley print women’s shawls. The fabric from India that was bing imported to Europe was getting very expense and the shawls were seen as an accessory that was connected with wealth and status.

Bandanas and the American Revolution

Over time, the bandana made its way west and it made its debut in the 1700’s in colonial America during the Revolutionary War. In the United States, President George Washington was fighting for American independence from Great Britain. At the time, there was a textile ban in the American colonies that was imposed by the British. As an act of defiance, Martha Washington teamed up with textile artist named John Hewson to print a special handkerchief. John Hewson was not in favor of the textile ban made by the British and took on the project and made Martha’s idea come to life. Martha wanted to make a handkerchief with her husband’s image printed on it. The iconic bandana is a picture of George Washington on his horse, sword drawn, surrounded by cannons and waving flags. It’s as if this American bandana said “I’m George Washington, protector of America.” This was in direct defiance of the printing ban and the bandana sparked a fire under the people of that time. It was later printed in mass quanitites and inspired the American people as revolutionary propaganda. The bandana was seen as a political statement of the day and that was the first bandana to be apart of influencing American politics.

Branding and Bandanas

The bandana grew in popularity and was widely used as advertisement, from political parties to branding. Over time the bandana was embraced by the American west. It became an iconic statement to see a cowboy wearing a bandana around his neck or in his pocket to hand to a lady. By the dawn of the 20th century, there was a proliferation of affordable bandanas for everyone. It was also used to conceal people’s faces over the years (all the way up to the year 2020!) and was viewed as a sign of rebellion in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Bandanas have also been worn as a hair accessory throughout history. I can still see my husbands hispanic grandma always have a red, pink, or purple bandana close by to tie her hair up while making fresh tortillas.

Recently I have seen bandanas with many types of prints from Wild West to national parks. Many women are wearing neck scarfs again that are made up of textile like silk or chiffon. Throughout the years there has been many variations of the bandana, and the trend has really never gone away.