Feathers
Twenty-four Golden Eagle tail feathers were used in the construction of this bonnet. Dark, marbled feathers are found on adult birds, whereas immature specimens possess black-and-white feathers, which were the most highly prized among the Indians of the Great Plains. The feathers feature loops fashioned from rawhide strips, wrapped in red wool cloth. Each feather is further embellished with a tuft of red-dyed horsehair, a piece of ermine fur, and red-dyed fluff feathers.
The Cap
The cap is constructed from brain-tanned buckskin, forming a brimless skullcap. The front portion is decorated with quillwork—strips of rawhide wrapped with dyed porcupine quills. These strips are secured to the cap using animal sinew. The front of the cap is covered with ermine pelts cut into narrow strips. Additional ermine skins, cut and re-sewn into slender tubes, adorn the temple area. The temples are also decorated with owl feathers, where the vane has been stripped from the quill.
Composition
The feathers must be arranged so they curve downward, aligned according to the natural curvature and size of the vane. Each feather is secured to the cap by a buckskin thong that passes through the loop of every feather. A second buckskin thong passes through the vanes of the individual feathers at approximately mid-length to maintain uniform spacing. I designed the bonnet so that the upper feathers lay more horizontally. This style was characteristic of the Crows and Upper Missouri tribes, whereas the Sioux, Cheyenne, or Comanche typically produced war bonnets where the upper feathers angled upward rather than laying flat.
War Bonnets
Eagle feather headdresses were reserved within the tribe exclusively for prominent men who had distinguished themselves in combat, diplomacy, and the leadership and organization of the tribe. Eagles were taken in so-called ‘eagle pits’ by hunters who held a special mandate from the ‘spirits’ or ‘higher powers.’ These hunts were frequently a profoundly ceremonial affair.