The Eagle Feather Headdress

Eagle feathers were worn by the bravest men of the tribe. Each feather represented a feat
of bravery. Sioux warriors, members of the elite Akichita society, wore these
head dresses, and believed them to hold supernatural powers that would protect them during warfare.

Eagle Feather Bonnet - Private Collection

Warbonnets From the Late 19th and Early 20th Century
There was a wide variety of styles, decorations and ways of manufacturing eagle feather head dresses. We have had the privilege
of examining hundreds of them held in private collections and museums. We have found that there are no two identical.
Even the ways that the feathers are mounted on the bonnets often varied. The oldest ones were sometimes decorated with
bones, shells, fur and porcupine quill embroidery. The 19th century head dresses also had beadwork headbands and were
mounted on leather caps. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many were mounted on black felt hats.


Assiniboine Tipis
PO Box 649 Lundar, MB R0C1Y0
Phone: (204) 762-5523
Canada

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