Mohawk hairstyle

An example of Liberty Spikes

An example of a deathhawk

The Mohawk hairstyle (in British English also called Mohican hairstyle) is traditionally thought to be a hair style worn by the Mahican and Mohawk tribes. In reality it appears that the Huron were the first to sport the hairstyle. Like many indigenous tribes in the Great Lakes region, in times of war they plucked out their hair, except for a narrow strip down the middle of the scalp. Though today popularly called a "Mohawk," when worn by American Indians it is more correctly known as a "scalp lock." In some cases the hair was left the natural, dark, color at the base and colored from the middle to the top with an orange/yellow fade to look like the sunset, and the final product resembled a line of buffalo running along the horizon.

Today such a hair style is called a Mohawk, though the hair is often made to point up as spikes. In punk fashion, the hair is often dyed brilliant colours and the centre strip of hair worn so that it points straight up often to impressive height.

Besides punk fashion, the Mohawk became known with the popularity of Mr. T, the actor who first became famous playing the boxer Clubber Lang in the movie Rocky III and later as Sgt. B.A. Baracus in the television series The A-Team. Another well-known popular culture depiction of the Mohawk came from Martin Scorcese's film Taxi Driver. Plasmatics guitarist Richie Stotts is quoted as saying, "It was the summer of '78. I was watching 'Taxi Driver' one night and the instant I saw Travis Bickle I thought, 'This is it. This is the look!'"

Many types of mohawks exist including: liberty spikes, reverse mohawks, fans, tri-hawks, bi hawks, and deathhawks. Liberty-spikes are named such because of their resemblance to the spikes on the head of the statue of liberty, though they first popped up in the London scene, later renamed in NYC by the St. Mark's punks and are often used for their durability in extremely long hair. A reverse mohawk(also known as a "devil lock") is like a regular mohawk but instead of spiking the hair up, it is all pushed forward and down across the forehead. The vocalist from The Misfits popularised this style. Fan mohawks try to keep all hair in a uniform spread creating a fan effect. Tri-hawks are when a person has the mohawks on their head one in the middle and one on each side. Tri-hawks are generally put up by fanning them. Bi-hawks are the same as tri-hawks only without the center hawk. Deathhawks are wider than average mohawks that are backcombed before they are put up. Deathhawks are sometimes seen being worn by death rockers and goths.

The mohawk, by its nature, is not a low-maintenance style. The varieties with very long spikes are especially difficult to put up, requiring the use of gels and hair sprays, white glue, and "the punk rocker's secret", gelatin. Over time, mohawks tend to become quite scruffy and unkept, and hence the sides of the head must be shaved clean regularly to preserve its best appearance.

The name "Mohawk" was perhaps bestowed upon the tribe by the Germans, who, mistaking a personal name for the group name, started to call the Kanien'kehá:ka "Moackh." An English corruption of pronunciation turned it into the familiar "Mohawk" which is still used today. The name of the people in the Mohawk language (which does not possess an /m/ sound) is Kanien'kehá:ka.

The mohawk hairstyle inspired the fauxhawk hairstyle, an approximation of a mohawk made without buzzing or shaving either side of the head. This is usually used in the form of a small but noticable spike in the middle. This hairstyle is used by The Killers lead singer Brandon Flowers. This modernized mohawk of sorts allows for a less punk look, and more metro look, usually a look that can display confidence and attractiveness, unlike the previous mohawks, which are used more by the punk/emo crowd.

Notable Hawks

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