rastacap

{{short description|Hat associated with Rastafari}}

Image:Rasta Man Barbados.jpg in Barbados wearing a rastacap]]

The rastacap or tam is a tall (depending on the user's hair length), round, crocheted cap. It is most commonly associated with the pat{{clarify|date=May 2010|reason=That phrase and term mean nothing to 99.99% of our readers; explain or link to something that explains what "the pat" is supposed to mean in this context.}} as a way for Rastafari (Rastas) and others with dreadlocks to tuck their hair away, but may be worn for religious reasons by Rastafari. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as a "Tam", a different kind of cap loosely ancestral to the rastacap.{{Citation needed|reason=Dread keepers are referenced as tams in reliable sorces; who is deciding what is erroneous? Linguistic derivation happens. "Shirt" comes from a word meaning skirt. Get over it.|date=March 2017}} Other Caribbean terms for the rastacap include: rastafar (sometimes with a silent -r), toppa, toppah, and simply cap or hat.

In construction, the rastacap is similar to the tuque, but much larger. Most commonly crocheted, the hat can also be knit, woven, sewn, or constructed in a number of other ways.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} Examples with sun-cured palm leaves woven into the hat exist; this yields a semi-rigid design which a skilled islander can form rapidly.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} Rastacaps range in size and shape, as well as uses. People with dreadlocks and non-dreaded people alike wear rastacaps for fashion, convenience, religion, socio-political statement, and a number of other reasons. Some Rastas also wear rastacaps and other forms of headdress as a religious headcovering.