CULTURE CLASH (Express Yourself)
e NdS An Exploration of
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Follicle Mythology By C.L.
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, THE US ARMY MADE A SPECIFIC PUSH TO RECRUIT MEMBERS OF NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES TO ACT AS SCOUTS AND TRACKERS DUE TO THEIR TOUGHNESS AND NEAR “SUPERNATURAL” FAMILIARITY TO NAVIGATE TOUGH TERRAINS. After enlistment though, all traces of enhanced abilities seem to disappear completely. US Army investigators interviewed tribe elders and learned it was quite simple: they need to have their hair long and free to allow their battlefield prescience. The powers-that-be made an exception for Native American troops to keep their hair after enlistment, and the increase in efficiency that the US Army was looking for finally presented itself. Hair in history, beyond its most obvious role of retaining warmth and blocking harmful sunlight to delicate human parts and organs, seems to have a peculiar link to the supernatural and the sensitive human. Even in today’s culture, a popular euphemism for being frightened is “hair raising” or the old trope of being frightened so bad, that the hair turns white. The cultures of the ancient world held hair and what it represented in high regard, from shamans on hill tops to Caesars in sparkling colosseums, with natural hair colored with mud and clay to wigs of animal furs and other more macabre origins. Hair seemed to hold a special place in the world before electricity and paved roads. Within mythologies from around the world, we see numerous stories of hair giving people special powers and abilities that separated them from the normal population. 20
The most well-known story in this regard would be the tale of Samson and Delilah, an Israeli soldier of the ancient world who had a level of near superhuman strength if his hair was kept long. His most famous feat was defeating a pair of lions unarmored with his bare hands. His tragedy is well known and taught every Sunday, so no spoils from me. Another tale of the ancient world is the story of Loki and Sif. Sif was the beloved of Thor and was seen as one of the most beautiful woman in Valhalla, known for her long golden hair. The love between Thor and Sif enraged Loki, so he commissioned the dwarves to craft a black wig made of Uru (a rare metal ore). While Sif slept, Loki snuck into her room, shaved her famous blonde hair, and enchanted the black wig to her scalp so that it could not be cut or removed. The next day, Loki hid in the halls waiting to see Thor’s reaction C U LTU R EC L A S H G A LV E STO N . C O M • J U LY/A U G 2 0 2 1