Picture this: it's 1976, and a bunch of British punk rockers are deliberately trying to shock their parents. Their weapon of choice? A hairstyle they borrowed from what they thought were fierce Native American warriors. Plot twist: the actual Mohawk people rarely wore their hair that way.

Here's the thing about mohawks – the hairstyle we know today is actually a massive case of cultural mistaken identity. The Mohawk Nation (Kanien'kehá:ka, meaning "People of the Flint") traditionally wore various hairstyles, but the dramatic center strip wasn't their signature look. That style was more commonly associated with the Pawnee and some other tribes. But when Hollywood got involved in the early 20th century, they weren't exactly worried about historical accuracy. Movies showed all Native Americans with the same dramatic hairstyle, and the name stuck to the most visually striking one.

The modern mohawk as we know it really took off during World War II, believe it or not. Paratroopers in the 101st Airborne Division shaved their heads into mohawks before the D-Day invasion, drawing inspiration from those old Hollywood westerns. They wanted to look fierce and intimidating before jumping into Nazi-occupied France. Talk about psychological warfare! These soldiers created a direct link between the mohawk and rebellious, anti-establishment attitude that would explode decades later.

Then came the punk explosion of the 1970s, and the mohawk became the ultimate middle finger to conventional society. Bands like The Exploited and Discharge took the style to new extremes – we're talking 6-inch spikes held up with egg whites, soap, gelatin, or later, industrial-strength hair gel. The taller and more colorful, the better. What started as a military power move became the uniform of social rebellion. London's King's Road was filled with kids sporting neon mohawks in green, pink, and purple, often combined with safety pins and leather jackets.

Here's my favorite detail: in the 1980s, Mr. T made the mohawk mainstream on The A-Team, proving that even the most rebellious hairstyle could eventually end up on primetime family television. Today, you'll see everything from subtle faux-hawks on accountants to elaborate mohawks at metal concerts. The style that supposedly represented Native American warriors, was adopted by WWII paratroopers, became punk rock's calling card, and ended up on everyone from toddlers to celebrities has had quite the journey. Not bad for a hairstyle named after the wrong tribe.