University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Sorry, we couldn't find anything matching "Husbands and suitors presented large, fancy combs as gifts to their wives and girlfriends. The combs were decorated with carved human heads or torsos. The concentric rings on the neck suggest the wide metal neck rings many African women wear, or the rolls of fat that are considered the symbol of a wealthy woman. It is reported that a woman removed and replaced her comb as a form of greeting much as a Western man would lift his hat in public when greeting a woman. This type of comb is the prototype for the modern pick used to maintain an "Afro" hairstyle.".