Dreadlocks are a universal phenomenon and through the ages, people of various cultures have worn dreadlocks. It can be said that what are known today as “dreadlocks” are one of the oldest and most universal hairstyles known.
From Wikipedia

History
I have had locks twice in my lifetime. Despite all that I know about them my initial reasons for getting them were very simple. I went to get my hair cut for junior prom (1995) and the dude cut me along my shape-up on the back of my neck….fellas ya’ll know what I’m talking about. Anyway I was leaving and I thought I pay these people every two weeks to cut my hair, it really needs to be done everyweek since my hair grows so fast. Then I get cut every once in a while, I have to sit and wait to be seen and I’d really rather have hair. So I said no more and I didn’t get my hair cut again until 1999 when it was past my shoulders. I cut the locks and let my man shape me and trim it down in his living room. I was determined not to let a stranger cut my hair again. The thing about hair, especially locks is it holds energy. Don’t think I’m getting to mystical (I am), but everything is energy and we take it in and let it out. Those bad feelings, the good ones…hell here’s a gross fact: anytime you smell something it means that small particles of that thing are entering your nose. Everything breaks down into a form of energy. Your hair being an extension of you, collects that energy. Which is why (beyond the rude aspect) you shouldn’t let people touch your hair. Especially locks, even water…I used to sound like a girl on the weekends when people would call and ask if I was stepping out. If I had washed my hair than that was dead. It usually took several hours for it to dry. Even if I wrung it out, toweled it and used the blow dryer at 2:00 pm I would wake up the next day with a wet pillow.

Living in the Now
So I cut my joints off in ‘99 and grew them right back. This was always interesting, to see the reactions you get from people with and without them. But anyway, alot of things have happened to me during this time. I’ve changed my perceptions of people and things, I’ve been from coast to coast. My goals have changed and so has my vision of what I want the world to be. So I need to make some changes and one of the biggest ones is that I need to let go off as much of the old things as possible. So the hair had to go. I had to leave all of the energy I’d collected behind me. You can’t take it all with you. This time I did it in a more ritualistic way. To the point of when it was gone I made a fire and burned it. Even down to the hair that was taken off in the barbershop. Another good reason to have someone you know do it. Luckily some of my people own a shop so I could get it done by someone familiar. So basically it’s a starting over. Leaving behind so I can move on with a clean slate. Some people understand, some have questions, some just say stupid things…like how professional I am now. None of this is for them though, it’s all about me and the choices and commitments I make in my life. It’s about my progression and advancement. I’m starting anew. To quote Ghost, “Elbows unique now me the new me.”