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Twisted Hairs are dead, lost at Dry Wells, died in Vulpes' smile. Won't discuss their fate with you, not now - their past is mine to keep.Ulysses

The Twisted Hairs were a tribe that lived in the former state of Arizona, named for the iconic and elaborate dreadlocks worn by its members, and are mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas and its add-on Lonesome Road.

Background[]

Once a powerful tribe that dominated their territory, the Twisted Hairs forged an alliance with Caesar in the early days of his Legion's rise to power, acting as scouts for Caesar's conquest of the tribes inhabiting the region. Once the Legion had secured victory against other tribes with their help, Caesar and Vulpes Inculta met with the tribe at Dry Wells, where they "rewarded" the Twisted Hairs by breaking the alliance and betraying them, conquering and enslaving them as was and would be 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.[1] According to Ulysses, Dry Wells was not the homeland of the Twisted Hairs and he never says where the tribe began since he personally considers it less important than the place where they met their end.[2]

Ulysses was a former member of the Twisted Hairs that still wears the namesake hairstyle of the tribe even after being conscripted as a Frumentarius following their forced assimilation; whether he was allowed to keep his braids or he regrew them during his long travels away from Caesar is unknown since the modus operandi of the Legion's assimilation tactics involves completely wiping out a tribe's identity and individuality. Even the name "Ulysses" is one he gave himself (in reference to Ulysses S. Grant) and he never reveals his tribal name, leaving it unclear if the Twisted Hairs had any special naming customs similar to other tribes like the Great Khans or the Dead Horses.

As told in one of his personal logs, when Ulysses was sent to organize the White Legs to destroy New Canaan for Caesar, after helping them acquire the "storm-drum" weapons they use and annihilating the religious epicenter, the tribe took to imitating his dreadlocks as a mark of respect, unaware that he came to view it as offensive and an insult. Ulysses himself described getting lost in trying to read what their imitations meant, only to realize that the White Legs had put no meaning into making the braid, "ignorant of what the knots meant."[3][4][5] This seems to indicate that the Twisted Hairs documented their personal achievements through their hair, or that they used different braiding techniques for different meanings, much like the Dead Horses and their tattoo rituals. The Snakebite tourniquet is part of the reason they wore their hair as such.[6] They stored their personal histories and messages in their hair for other tribe members to see, for example, marriage, profession, and how many enemies they'd killed.[Non-game 1]

Behind the scenes[]

Van Buren in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios, the Twisted Hairs also appeared in one of the story variants where, similar to their canonical history, they 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 (composed of former members of the Vipers). Hecate would be the male counterpart to Caesar, desiring 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 background lore for Van Buren. They were also going to make an appearance in the cancelled Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2, where they were led by a warrior named Harpy.

In Fallout: New Vegas, the tribe's destruction is detailed in the Legion slave ledger located within Caesar's tent at the Fort. Ulysses was originally going to be a companion in Fallout: New Vegas but was cut from the final game; he was later retooled to serve as an unseen antagonist throughout the game's first three add-ons before appearing in full as the primary antagonist in the fourth, Lonesome Road, in which the Twisted Hairs were mentioned as part of his background and character motivations.

References[]

  1. Legion slave ledger
  2. The Courier: "Dry Wells is destroyed - that was your birthplace?"
    Ulysses: "No, opposite of that. It's where my tribe was taken. Where another history was put to the blade, lesson taught. It is where we realized Vulpes did not approach us as equals. Where we realized the wolf had come, and we watched our history die. Now it belongs to Legion... and all the death there now belongs to them as well. Not revenge... just the way of things when you own them."
    (Ulysses' dialogue)
  3. Ulysses log Y-17.21
  4. Ulysses log Y-17.22
  5. Ulysses log Y-17.23
  6. The Courier: "Any more recipes.. or histories... you can teach?"
    Ulysses: "Antivenom's helpful around the Mojave with the Bark Scorpions. Even one sting can kill you. Tunneler bite can be just as bad. My tribe, Twisted Hairs, had a better way than Antivenom, if you act fast. Snakebite Tourniquet - cuts off the venom, no need to scavenge glands and blood. Or drink that mess. Part of the reason we wore our hair like we did, like I do now. Here's some for the road - trick to making it's not hard. Get bit, hook and twist it. Fast as blinking, doesn't give poison time to sink in."
    (Ulysses' dialogue)

Non-game

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