[Aztlan] Captives and Hair Pulling

[Allen Johnson]

Not to be argumentative or disagreeable but how do we know from iconography with no accompanying text as to whether an action is symbolic or literal?  If it is symbolic, what is it supposed to be symbolizing?  Is it possible to be both?  
  -Allen

Nancy Porter <nkporter at earthlink.net> wrote:
  Although a good bit farther south considerably earlier, captives in 
Moche iconography are often seen being held or maybe even dragged by 
their hair as they are captured. Many examples appear in books and 
articles by Christopher B. Donnan.

See MOCHE FINELINE PAINTING, Donnan & McClelland, U. C. Regents, Fowler 
Museum, UCLA, 1999, a particularly good source for these images, pp. 
41, 50,51,70,71, and many others. It certainly appears to be symbolic 
.

Nancy K. Porter
Research Associate
Institute of Andean Studies
Berkeley, California



On Aug 3, 2006, at 11:06 AM, Allen Johnson wrote:

> Whenever there are depictions of prisoners of war in Aztec iconography 
> they are usually either trussed up (usually at the feel of a 
> dignitary) or being held by their captor by a tuff of hair at the top 
> of their heads. With this hair pulling... Has anyone come across 
> anything that would suggest that this is a method in which these 
> captives were actually taken? There is some value to hair pulling as 
> a martial technique, but is it really practical? Or is it a symbolic 
> depiction of humiliating ones opponent?
>
> Many thanks,
> Allen Johnson
>
> 
> ---------------------------------
> Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great 
> rates starting at 1¢/min.
> _______________________________________________
> Aztlan mailing list
> Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
> http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/aztlan
>
>


Nancy K. Porter
Research Associate
Institute of Andean Studies
Berkeley, California



 		
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.