In 1699, the tenth Sikh teacher, Guru Gobind Singh, formed the Sikh community into the Khalsa, which means “pure and free,” a kind of beloved community. He gave the community new last names that signified a sense of sovereignty—“Singh” for men and boys, meaning “lion” or “warrior-prince”; “Kaur” for women and girls, meaning “warrior-princess” or “sovereign woman warrior.” He adorned us with five articles of faith, the five “K’s”—a steel bracelet called a karra, a comb called a kangee, an undergarment called a kach, a dagger called a kirpan, and long uncut hair called kesh. “Sikhs do not hide,”
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