[Aztlan] Hair pulling revisited

[Allen Johnson]

Came across this the other day.  It's an account of an Indian that was captured and taken back to Spain.  There, he re-enacted a fight with another Indian slave.  This re-enactment was recorded by Peter Martyr d'Anghera.
   
  ..."he engaged another slave...He siezed him by the hair, as they do their enemies whom they capture with weapons in their hands, dragging them off to be sacrificed."
   
  To me, this might be a bit more evidence of the hair pulling being an actual technique used in a battle and less of a symbolic ritual.  (not to say it couldn't be ritual as well, just not exclusivley as such)
   
  Also... there was also some curiosity expressed about a possible connection to Native American Indian martial arts.  In "Aztec Warfare by Ross Hassig, he describes a number of clubs that were used.  One of which being a "cuauhololli, a simple wooden club with a spherical ball at the end." (p.85)
    A weapon very similar to this is seen in Am. Indian artifacts.  ( http://www.snowwowl.com/naarttomahawk.html ) - drawings near the bottom of the page.
    Could this have developed as an influece from the south?  Either in migration or contact?  I dont know.  I think its just as possible to have developed a similar basic weapon with out any contact with the other.

 		
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