Forty Braids (Frameless Print)

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: The women of the Kiyiz Duino collective gather in the soft afternoon light, braiding a young girl’s hair. In traditional Kyrgyz culture, braiding a girl’s hair into forty braids carries deep meaning. For unmarried girls, these braids reflect not just purity but also individuality, and mark their readiness for adulthood. The number forty also represents more than just a count; it symbolizes completeness, strength, and unity, harkening back to the legendary forty tribes that united to form the Kyrgyz people.  Like many traditions, this practice faded during the Soviet era, but is now returning. Not only in Kyrgyzstan, but across other traditionally nomadic Turkic cultures such as in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, women are reclaiming these practices as part of a broader cultural revival, mixing them with trending fashion styles to create something new. Modernization may have distanced us from each other and our collective past, but now, we’re in a position to choose whic