The Na'vi Hairstyles

[Ekirä]

I've been wondering how the Na'vi shave their heads so finely. When they give themselves their 'mohawks' what do they use to shave the sides of their heads?

(Image of Tsu'tey's hairstyle, I put it in a spoiler because it's pretty big)

Spoiler

They obviously don't use electric buzzers (if anything, Eywa would NOT approve! )--so do they use small knives? A plant that has hair-removing properties?

On the same subject, how do they decide who gets a mohawk? I've looked--it's not just the males.

Anyone have answers? 

[P.A.'li makto]

I do not know the answer to your question, instead I have another one: it's about their queue. Mo'at wears it in a different way than the others; in two lines that come together in front of her chest. How is it? How are the neural streams located among the hairs? I don't understand that. Anybody?

[Muzer]

That has been mentioned before, and the two solutions were that the real queue is only one of them and the other is just hair, or that because the queue is made of lots of tendrils, half the tendrils go down one and half down the other, where they meet up. It all depends whether or not the neural whip and the hair are separable.

[P.A.'li makto]

I prefer the 1st idea. But I still can't imagine those tendrils...

['Oma Tirea]

That has been mentioned before, and the two solutions were that the real queue is only one of them and the other is just hair, or that because the queue is made of lots of tendrils, half the tendrils go down one and half down the other, where they meet up. It all depends whether or not the neural whip and the hair are separable.

I have wondered about that too, and it seems to be only Mo'at who has that type of tsaheylu.  Not even Neytiri, the next tsahìk, has that type of tsaheylu.  Maybe it's that either the hairstyle is a mark of a clan's tsahìk, or simply that Mo'at wanted to redo her hair at some point, putting it in the front instead of the back.

[Txura Tsampongu]

I have wondered about that too, and it seems to be only Mo'at who has that type of tsaheylu.  Not even Neytiri, the next tsahìk, has that type of tsaheylu.  Maybe it's that either the hairstyle is a mark of a clan's tsahìk, or simply that Mo'at wanted to redo her hair at some point, putting it in the front instead of the back.

Now that I think about that, it does make lots of sense. But what confuses me a little is that she doesnt have those wavy things that you can connect to your ikran with, or any other animal alien thing. Was it just done like that or what? Anyone else notice that?

['Oma Tirea]

Maybe those tendrils are there, but you just don't see them in the movie.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Maybe those tendrils are there, but you just don't see them in the movie.

Maybe she doesn't and part of becoming tsahìk and ascending to a higher level of bond with Eywa involves removing the queue (in a simila way to the witches in His Dark Materials who are deliberately separated from the daemon (roughly analogous to a personal Eywa) to strengthen their bond and improve its flexibility later)

[P.A.'li makto]

removing the queue

?
Brrrrrrrrrr!

[kewnya txamew'itan]

removing the queue

?
Brrrrrrrrrr!

It's possible. I'd be very surprised, but I'm just throwing out an improbable theory.

[Muzer]

Well, Tsu'tey said/implied having one's queue removed is a fate worse than death, so I'm pretty sure even the Tsahìk wouldn't have to do it.

[kewnya txamew'itan]

Yes, but Tsu'tey really wasn't prepared for it, presumably, were this the case (which is highly unlikely), Mo'at would have known from birth that her queue was going to be cut and so would be able to prepare in some way (on a slightly related note, there has been at least one case of a monk amputating his penis due to it distracting him, many people might (wrongly in my opinion, not that I'm saying I would) consider that a fate worse than death) and so be able to cope. As I say, it's incredibly unlikely.

[Muzer]

I agree with you that amputating your penis is not worse than death - sure, you won't be able to have sex, but you can still achieve satisfaction by doing things that will benefit people.

Whereas a queue is obviously for more than just sex - linking with Eywa seems the most important to me. Having all my internet access revoked permanently, for me would CERTAINLY be worse than death - lol

[kewnya txamew'itan]

I know, I'm just pointing out that what some people would consider worse than death, others would consider a reasonable sacrifice (and again, it's for religious grounds as Mo'atä amputation would be were it to happen).

[Lolet]

Didn't we think it looked like a blue hose? I think having long tendrils would be very easily damaged by whoever was braiding your hair. I did wonder where Jake got all those beads for his hair after Kelutrel was destroyed.

[Ash]

I'd go with the theory that Mo'at's queue would simply go through only one of her braids(with the Na'vi preferences, probaply the left one) but as we never see her make Tsaheylu there is no real indication...

@Lolet - I'd say, with Jake becoming Toruk makto he would get a lot of presents from various Na'vi - like he wears his choker with the beads first time after becoming Omatikaya, I guess this was a gift as well.

[Lolet]

@Ash: Yeah, it makes sense that the other clans would give him gifts, but I noticed Neytiri wearing several different outfits, and  I was all like, "Didn't her stuff get destroyed?"

I wonder how long it takes the Na'vi to braid hair, because they seem to switch styles a lot.

['Oma Tirea]

Probably not too long.  Think about what potential time gaps there are in the movie where we don't see anything (likely for runtime reasons)....

[Lolet]

They are also skilled weavers, so the can probably zip out  acouple in no time at all!

"Can I talk to Olo'Eyktan?"
"No, sorry, he's getting his hair done."

[P.A.'li makto]

"Can I talk to Olo'Eyktan?"
"No, sorry, he's getting his hair done."

This is sweet!