Tignon
A headwrap worn by Creole women of African descent in Louisiana, once imposed by law.
Also: tiyon
The tignon is a headwrap worn by Creole women of African descent in Louisiana. In 1786 the Spanish governor Esteban Miró issued a law requiring free women of colour in New Orleans to cover their hair with a head wrap, in an attempt to mark them apart from white women. The women answered by wearing tignons of rich fabrics and jewels, tied in striking styles, so that the wrap became a statement of beauty and pride.