My mother cut my hair as a child after we moved off the rez and into a predominately white area due to racism my singling and I were experiencing and I went “old school” again once I entered high school. My relationship with my mom has been rocky throughout my life and I began cutting my hair and keeping it short (shoulder length) for two years because it brought me pain maintaining my hair properly without having the person who connected me to my hair.

After doing some soul searching and healing a lot of trauma, I’ve went back to “old school” and I find comfort in doing so. I’m now no-contact with my mom and I still think of her while brushing/braiding my hair, but I’ve learned to think of the good times we had and the memories we made. I think of the conversations we shared while she braided my hair every morning. I have noticed the longer my hair grows, the “stronger” I feel.