Kenya’s Mau Mau fighters unexpectedly became part of a viral online discussion after American streamer IShowSpeed learned about their connection to the history of dreadlocks during a conversation in Jamaica.
While speaking with a local woman about Rastafarian culture during his Caribbean tour, Speed asked where dreadlocks originated, apparently believing the hairstyle began in Jamaica.
The woman clarified that although Jamaica and the Rastafari movement helped make dreadlocks globally recognisable, the style itself traces back to East Africa.
“Dreads, it wasn’t invented in Jamaica, but it was popularised through Rastafarians and through Bob Marley,” the woman explained.
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IShowSpeed Stunned by Dreadlocks History: Discovers Dreadlocks’ Originated From Kenya’s Mau Mau And India’s Sadhus and Not Jamaican.
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She then referenced Kenya’s Mau Mau fighters, saying the anti-colonial warriors wore locked hair during their resistance against British rule in the 1950s.
According to her, the fighters became symbols of liberation movements and helped popularise the hairstyle within anti-colonial struggles.
“The dreadlocks come from two different places. From Kenya with the Mau Mau warriors who were fighting against the colonialists and also Indians,” she added.
The discussion later expanded beyond Africa when the woman brought up India’s spiritual traditions.
She explained that Sadhus, Hindu holy men known for living ascetic lifestyles, have worn matted hair for centuries as part of their beliefs.
Clearly surprised, Speed repeatedly questioned the connection to India. “Wait, India?” he asked. “Like the continent India?”
The woman then explained that Indian cultural influence reached Jamaica after slavery ended, when the British transported indentured labourers from India to the Caribbean.
According to her, these migrants introduced customs, beliefs, ganja use, and vegetarian practices that later influenced the Rastafari Ital lifestyle.
She further explained that before these influences spread, enslaved communities often survived on scraps and discarded cuts of meat provided by slave owners, including pig trotters and cow feet.
Indian traditions later helped inspire the plant-based lifestyle embraced by many Rastafarians.
When Speed asked whether she personally consumed meat, she responded firmly: “No.”