The Purpose of Feathers in Headbands

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    Headbands

    • The traditional feather headband was made of woven deerskin. The band was usually decorated with beads and wrapped around the forehead. Woodland men and women wore headbands. They placed one or more feathers in the back of the headband. Types of feathers used included those from eagles, turkeys, hawks and cranes. The headbands were mostly used for style and beauty, though some contained tribal and clan markings. Across the plains, only warriors wore eagle feathers.

    Otter Headdresses

    • These types of headdresses were made and worn by the Southern Plains and the Prairie tribes. Some tribes that are known to wear otter-skin headdresses are the Pawnee and Potawatomi Indians. The rounded hats, made of otter skin, were only worn by men and chiefs, and their offspring wore eagle feathers to designate their roles as leaders. Additionally, markings on the otter skin showed what the wearer accomplished during war, similar to rankings and medals in the United States military.

    War Bonnet Headdresses

    • Worn by a few tribes in the Great Plains, such as the Cheyenne and the Sioux, war bonnets are made of rows of large feathers that were gathered as a sort of crown around the wearer's head and trailed all the way to the ground. Other war bonnet styles, common among the Blackfoot tribe, were not as long. Each eagle feather in a war bonnet comes from an eagle's tail and has to be earned through an act of undisputed bravery. War bonnets were only worn by men, typically chiefs and warriors. They were often preserved for special, formal occasions.

    Roach Headdresses

    • Roach headdresses were worn by eastern Native American tribes. The headdress consisted of components such as coarse animal hair and feathers. The animal hair was spiked up to stand on end and was placed down the center of the head like a mohawk. The hair was often dyed colorfully. Feathers were used in the roach headdresses mainly because they were considered fashionable. These were worn into battle and could only be worn by men.

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