The word bandana is a contribution from Hindi in the heyday of British colonialism. The Indian fashions now and then have a great appeal to color schemes in the designs of clothing and jewelry. The word means tie. They are clothes with highly festive color schemes on it. The most common application of bandanas is to hold the hair of the girls by tying these close to the hairline that separates the forehead. While it holds the hair in place it can give a stunning look to the wearer without much cost. The print designs often follow a paisley pattern, which is the capturing of predominantly drop-let shaped green motifs.
Bandanas, though have typical Indian ring about them are not Indian in origin; it is universally found either as a fashion appendage or for functional purposes. The cowboys wore impressive bandanas which covered also their nose, a method of protecting themselves from dust. When the horse ambled leisurely the smells emanating from the horse also are warded off by this. Sometimes they are worn around the neck and they serve the purpose of a hanky to wipe of sweat at will as they rode. It is an interesting thing that the modern tie evolved from a sartorial appendage formerly called a neck-kerchief.
In traditional fire fighting by people living in the wild the bandanas are tied around the nose and mouth too mitigate the ill effects of dust and smoke as they labored to put out the fire. Dancers and performers use it during their rehearsals to keep the hair tidy. It is used in kitchen in hotel industry as a way of preventing hair fall into the food stuffs.
Today, bandanas have become practical way of communicating class. It is cost effective and can be improvised at short notice. Colored bandanas were used by workers as they labored to wipe out sweat or cover their head to protect themselves from heat. They are usually colored to hide the stains. So, a typical colored bandana might indicate affiliation with a group. During demonstrations they can also afford some protection from the impact of tear gas and pepper spray.
A fine way of decorating a person and affording protection from the harshness of climate today has deteriorated as the identification marks of certain criminal gangs. In the underworld of gang culture each group may have their own identity in the bandanas they have and they can be quickly taken out of their pockets or recesses on the dress and can indicate in short notice the group that they belong. Some times they are also worn around the legs. The gangs like the Bloods and the Crips wore red or blue as the badge of their gang identification. Similarly among the gay men the carrying of a particular bandana may signify a favored type of sexual practice. They call it the hanky-code
It is amazing the way in which human beings use a thing and attribute meaning. Every thing is in an evolutionary process. In the years to come bandanas might have other uses and other identifications.