The Palestinian Kuffiyah is one of the most prominent symbols related to the Palestinian people; it is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when mentioning the word Palestine. This article will discuss the historical background behind the Kuffiyah, its patterns meanings, and cultural appropriation.
Historical Background of the Kuffiyah
First, the historical background behind the Kuffiyah, Kuffiyah is a crucial part of Palestinian society; men wear it mainly for its cultural meaning. Also, another reason why people used to wear it is to protect themselves from the sun while harvesting and also from the dust in the desert considering the diversity of Palestine itself. But in the 1930s things took a different turn and people started relating to the Kuffiyah differently, at that time Palestine was under British colonization.
The Kuffiyah during British Colonization
As a normal result of any occupation, resistance was the answer. Resistance group members started wearing the Kuffiyah to cover their faces so they wouldn’t get identified. Shortly after, the British colonizers picked up this code and began arresting some of them, so Palestinians decided to stand by their resistance group members. The Palestinian society chose to wear the Kuffiyah to protect each other; this is how it began.
The Kuffiyah as a Political Symbol
Now with time, some politicians have taken the Kuffiyah as a political symbol. The most famous person who would come to your mind is Yasser Arafat – a Palestinian Political Leader. Surely it gained more popularity and worldwide recognition because it was associated with him, but it had a long history before Arafat wore it.
Meanings Behind the Patterns
Second, the meaning behind its patterns, well the Kuffiyah is more than a scarf; there is a deeper meaning behind each pattern. The first pattern is olive leaves representing strength, resilience, and perseverance. The second is bold and represents the trade routes going through Palestine, a long and rich history of merchants, travel, and cultural exchange. The last one is the fishnet pattern, representing the connection between the Palestinian sailors and the Mediterranean Sea. These three patterns represent the Palestinian society and the individuals.
Cultural Appropriation of the Kuffiyah
Our next point is cultural appropriation, it is no surprise at this point that the Israeli occupation steals nearly everything Palestinian, as it is a normal colonizer behavior. Israel has stolen Palestinian food and claimed it is part of their cuisine; the same thing happened with Thobs – traditional dress for women. In this case, Kuffiyah was also claimed to be part of the “Israeli culture.” Perhaps the most prominent one was at a fashion runway show when the designer Yaron Minkowski dropped a new collection featuring the Palestinian Kuffiyah.
This fashion runway show brought a lot of controversy and backlash over this topic and how ignorant the designer is. The Kuffiyah has a lot of history and meaning behind it, it is not just a scarf someone can replicate and claim that it is part of their culture because to Palestinians Kuffiyah is resilience.
This article written by Sadeel A sayyed
