Variants of this hair style, known generically as a 'roach' (from the French roche), could be found all over the place (including the Old World). In New World, the roach was especially common in the east, but could also be found among some of the Plains cultures and on the Columbian Plateau. In general it was the hair style preferred by men of fighting age. In the east, it was common that the roach didn't extend all the way forward, as seen in this illustration. The long upright hair you see in that illustration is part of an accessory to accentuate the roach. In this portrait of Black Hawk from 1832, you can see what the roach looks like without such accessories. In this portrait of Keokuk, Black Hawk's main political rival, you can see the long hairs that are added to the roach--these artificial roach extensions were made from deer hair, the porcupine guard-hairs, or more rarely from some other animal's hair, and dyed red or yellow. They're held in place by a roach-spreader, which also holds the feather you can see in these images. In modern dancing regalia, the roach is completely artificial and held in place with a strap under the chin, as seen here.

The roach was usually worn in association with a scalplock (sometimes the roach itself was completely artificial, as described above, and attached to scalplock itself). On the Plains, the Pawnee were more famous for wearing this hairstyle and in this photograph from the 1860s, you can see the roach and the scalplocks quite well. Usually the locks were in the back, as seen here, but occasionally they might be in the front instead. Regardless of their position, they could be braided, decorated, and styled in many different ways. Having impressive scalplocks was something to be proud of because they could easily be lost while fighting.

You may want to check out the Encyclopedia of American Indian Costume for more information about particular cultures and their hairstyles. It's sometimes all-too-brief in its descriptions, but you can follow up on its sources to find out even more.

I read somewhere that the roach was created by plucking the hair rather than shaving, as a sign of manhood. Is there any truth to this?

Fantastic responses regarding New World hairstyles (especially from Reedstilt!). Anyone care to weigh in on the Old World?