Twisted Hairs

The Twisted Hairs were a tribe from what was Arizona. The tribe was known for the iconic and elaborate dreadlocks worn by its members.

Background
Once a powerful tribe in Arizona, the Twisted Hairs forged an alliance with Caesar in the early days of his Legion to act as scouts for him during his conquest of that state. Once the Legion had secured victory, Caesar and Vulpes Inculta promptly rewarded their aid by breaking the alliance and betraying them; conquering and enslaving them as he had done to all the other tribes of Arizona. Their tribal identity was erased and those that resisted were crucified along the sides of Interstate 40.

Ulysses was a former member of the Twisted Hairs tribe, who still wears the namesake hairstyle of the tribe even after being conscripted as a Frumentarius by Caesar's Legion upon the tribe's forced assimilation.

Ulysses makes mention in the Y-17.23 log that the White Legs imitated his dreadlocks as a mark of respect, unaware that he considered it an insult. Ulysses lost himself in trying to read what the braids meant, before remembering that the White Legs had put no meaning in the braid, "ignorant of what the knots meant." This could mean that the Twisted Hairs documented their personal achievements using their hair or using braiding techniques for different meanings, much like the Dead Horses and their tattoos. They stored their histories and messages in their hair for other tribe members to see, for example, marriage, profession, and how many they'd killed.

Behind the scenes

 * In Van Buren, the Twisted Hairs also featured in one of the story variants, and were also put to the sword by the Legion. The only survivor of this massacre was the future tribal "goddess" Hecate. She would establish a female tribe and religious organization named Daughters of Hecate and subordinate a male tribe named Hounds of Hecate (former Vipers). Hecate would be the male counterpart to Caesar, desiting nothing more than to wipe out Caesar's agents in the area. Her plan was simple: when the tribes were weak enough, her Hounds would sweep down upon them and annihilate them from the face of the earth. She was determined that the same would come to pass with Caesar and his Legion.

Appearances
The Twisted Hairs were originally mentioned in Van Buren background lore and the tribe's destruction is detailed in the Legion slave ledger located within Caesar's tent in Fallout: New Vegas. They were also going to make an appearance in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2, under the leadership of Harpy. The pivotal character Ulysses, cut from Fallout: New Vegas and appearing in the Lonesome Road add-on, was a member of the tribe before its destruction by the Legion.