Many of the Lamanites surrendered their weapons and entered into a covenant of peace" for when they heard the words of Moroni "and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, [they] were struck with fear" (Alma 44:15). According to Brant Gardner, the reason for this is likely centered in the significance of the scalp. In Maya artistic representations of captivity the hair of the head becomes symbolic of capture, with many of the captives being grabbed by the hair on the top of their heads. The scalping is also indicative of capture. Thus what the Lamanites may have been seeing was a symbol of the surrender of their captain and therefore their army. They would have seen the lifting of the scalp as an indication that Zerahemnah was a captive. Once the leader was captive, the entire army could be considered captive as well. [Brant Gardner, Book of Mormon Commentary, [http://www.highfiber.com/~nahualli/LDStopics/Alma/Alma44.htm], p. 6]
Alma 44:15 They saw the scalp which was upon the sword ([Illustration]): Many Lamanites, when they saw the scalp which was upon the sword, were struck with fear. [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 3, p. 3094]