When people ask about the headdress of the Indians, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind is a crown of eagle feathers. Such impressive gowns can often be seen in western films and television shows about Indians. And although this is now the most famous type of headdress of the Indians, it was actually worn in only a few tribes living in the Great Plains region, such as the Sioux, Crow, Blackfoot, Cheyenne and lowland Cree. Moreover, their crowns of feathers were different.
Sioux warriors wore hats with one or two rows of eagle feathers inserted in descending order of length. In the Crow tribe, elders attended formal events in headdresses where eagle feathers faned around their faces. Blackfoots wore tall and narrow hats when eagle feathers were in a straight upright position. All these headdresses of the Indians were made from the tail feathers of a golden eagle, and each feather was earned by a feat. Sometimes feathers were painted in honor of a particular case.
Such crowns were considered an important solemn regalia, and they were worn only by male warriors and leaders. In some Indian tribes, women also went to war, and there were even female leaders, but they never wore the headdress of the Indians. Male warriors most often kept their crowns for official events, because it was inconvenient to fight on the battlefield.
In the 1800s, men from other tribes sometimes began to wear the same headgear as the Great Plains Indians. This was partly due to the fact that many
Indian tribes, having moved to Oklahoma, began to adopt some attributes from their new neighbors. In most cases, the headdress of the Indian did not matter much to them. It was a tribute to fashion or a common symbol of power. But for the tribes of the Great Plains, a crown of feathers was a sacred symbol of honor and courage, and each feather was the result of a heroic story. Even in our time, Indians of this region who serve in the armed forces or have accomplished any feats are sometimes awarded eagle feathers.
Most of the tribes living east of the Rocky Mountains wore an Indians headdress called roach. It was made from the tough hair of animals:
porcupines, moose and deer, which were attached to the base so that on the head it looked like a comb. Often hair was dyed in bright colors and shells and other jewelry were added to them. In some tribes, men cut their own hair to a roach style, and they also wore artificial roaches. In other tribes, these hats, attached to the head with leather bandages, were worn over long hair and braids. Today, most often you can find just such a variant of wearing.
Roach was usually worn by warriors and dancers. Its meaning changed from tribe to tribe. In some tribes, this headdress of the Indians was put on, going into battle. In others, he was part of a formal attire. Like all clothing styles, rookies sometimes went out of fashion, and sometimes became fashionable again. As a rule, they did not have important spiritual significance, and the boys earned the right to wear a roach already at the first important ceremony. Currently, these hats can often be seen on Indian healers, who still wear them like regalia.