Native American Headdresses

Headdresses are a great symbol of the American traditional attire. They are a representative of the beautiful American art work. Most of the headdresses in the American art history have been associated with the Indians and South Americans . The history of the headdresses can be traced back in the sixteenth century. Since then the Americans have had a variety of headdresses all which are made in different styles and decorations. The headdresses also had various means and were worn during specific occasions (Beamer,23).The paper discusses a collection of the native American head dresses, how they were made, when they were worn , the ethnic groups associated with them as well as the differences between the headdresses. One of the headdresses in the native American history is the Feather war bonnet. The war bonnets were made of feather and were very common in the western movies and television shows. This war bonnets remain the best among the Indian headdresses in America. They were worn by most of the Indian tribes in the Great Plains who included the Cheyenne, Plains Cree, Black feet,Crow and the Sioux.The bonnets were worn during formal events. The bonnets were made of three types which included the Trailer war bonnet, Halo Warbonnet and the strait-up warbonnets. All the three types were made from tail feathers of the Golden eagle. Every single feather used in the artwork had to be worn from very brave actions. some of the feathers were painted red in colour to commemorate certain events or deeds. Other decorations added to the feathers included the ermine skin and also beautiful bead work. The war bonnets were very crucial regalia worn by the chiefs and the warriors during ceremonies.This war bonnet was exclusively a masculine headdress and was not worn worn by the women even if they went to war or they were chiefs (Taylor,113). The Indian men wore this bonnet sometimes when they were fighting although it was usually reserved for the formal occasions. In the 18t h century, the native American men started to were the warbonnets to boost the American tourist industry. As the native American tribes divided, Indian tribes assumed different territories and they attached different means to the traditional regalia. The new tribes that were formed adopted the warbonnet as fashion and a general regalia that symbolized authority.As for the traditional plains Indians they referred to the feather warbonnet as a holy symbol of men's courage and honor. Each of the feathers in the bonnet had it own different tale. Today, the Eagle feathers are still honored by the plains Indians and they are awarded to those who work in the armies and also those who perform very brave actions (James, 67) The Roach Headdresses which are also referred to as the porcupine Roaches were also very famous headdresses among the Indians in the United States. It was common among the tribes that lived in the east side of the Rocky Mountains.This type of headdresses were made from ve ry stiff animal hair mostly from the porcupine guard hair, the deer's tail hair and the moose hair. The hair was designed to stand up straight from the head and this was made possible by attaching the hair to a leather base or bone hair ornaments. The hair was normally dyed to enhance its with bright colours. Other decorations that were attached to the regalia were feathers and shells. The roach headdress was worn differently depending on the tribes of the men wearing it. It was normally worn by the dancers and the traditional warriors.They were also masculine headdresses and they were therefore not worn by women. Different tribes attached different meanings to the Roach Headdress. Most of the tribes wore the headdress during war or battle. Other tribes wore the roaches as traditional dancing regalia and also as a sports gear. Today the roaches are important dancing regalia for males in most Indian tribes (Beamer,27). In the west of the rocky mountains, there was another common head dress commonly known as the basket hats among the native Americans. The hats were made of different shapes and styles by the different native tribes.The Indian tribes from California made small rounded hats that were usually made from tight coiled sumac (James, 69). The coastal tribes, the Haida and the Salish made large hats which were more round from spruce root or cedar bark fibers. This regalia was generally feminine and was worn by women and girls. The hats were made in very decorative styles to enhance their beauty. The regalia was worn during ceremonies and also as a dancing regalia. This baskets had a special symbol of giving information about the person s clan, status and also ones achievements in the tribe(Taylor,118).Another popular regalia by the native Americans was the feather headbands. This was a headdress that was common among very few communities in the northeast woodlands of America. The head band was made from finger woven and also beaded skin from the deer . The woven band would then be tied around one or two feathers. They used a variety of feathers from the eagles, hawk, turkey, crane feathers and also egret feathers. The headband was unisex and could be worn by both men and women. Unlike most regalia's , the headband was not associated with war or battles.The feathers that were used to make the band were not attached to any special meaning although the eagle feathers were always associated with the warriors. They were worn for their beauty and they were therefore very decorated using different patterns, beads and also quill work (Creighton, 98). Buffalo headdress is also another traditional regalia associated with the warriors from the plains Indians. They were kind of helmets made from the buffalo hides and had a pair of buffalo horns attached to them. The headdress was also containing shaggy fur from the buffalo skin and a tail was attached behind.Just like the warbonnets, the horned headdresses signified the tribes spiritual believes and was also worn during ceremonies. The regalia was worn by very distinguished male warriors. It was less common than the war bonnet because only a few communities used it and it was also meant for very few persons who had certain specific brave actions (Milia, 57). The Otter fur turbans were also among the traditional regalia worn during ceremonies. They were made of fur and with a hanging tail. They were usually decorated with beads. They were formal headdresses with great symbolic significance.They were worn during formal events by the warriors who were not entering battle. To date, the otter caps are worn during formal events by the men from the southern Plains Indians (Beamer,54). The Mexican, central and also the South Americans had their own headdresses which were made from feathers. This headdresses were very different from the war bonnets which were also made from feathers. The Aztecs and the Mayans who made this head dresses used to sew together many feathers which were then attached at the back of their heads using straps. The eagle feathers were not used to make this regalia.They used the feathers from the macaw, parrot and the Quetzal feathers. The head dress was also unisex and could be worn by both men and women. They were not associated with the war but they were used to signify nobility in the Aztec empire. Today they are worn by the dancers form Guatemala and also from Mexico (Taylor,221). Another famous headdresses worn by the native Americans were the masks. The most famous mask is the American Indian mask. The masks were used for religious functions. The masks were made in different types in respective to the different communities making them.Most of the Masks were made of the head and also skulls of very crucial animals. This included animals such as the buffalo bull, the wolf and also the bear. Other masks were curved from wood and were then decorated using fur and leather. The masks were normally worn by men as a dancing regalia (Beam er,72). Other Traditional head dresses include the Iroquois gustoweh cap, the Hupa Flicker headdress, the Seminole cloth turban and the Pueblo headband. This were all masculine head dresses. The feathers that made the Gustoweh symbolize the specific tribe an individual came from.For example, three feathers attached to the gustoweh showed that the specific individual came from the Mohawk tribe. The flicker head dresses were worn by men from the northern California as a dancing regalia(Milia, 88). It was made from very wide leather strips which were decorated with the woodpecker's red scalps. The cloth turban was common during the eighteenth century. They were also decorated using feathers and were very common among the different native American tribes. The other head dresses which were common among the women include the Cayuga beaded tiara, peaked hood, the Eskimo dance headdress and the Wishram bridal headdress.The tiara was normally worn during formal events while the Wishram was w orn during wedding ceremonies (James, 86). In conclusion the native Americans had a variety of the traditional headdresses. They are still present today and they are sold in most headdress shops. They are very important to the Americans since they preserve their culture especially to the Indian-Americans. They are also a tourist attraction for both the domestic and the international tourists who are interested in the history of the native American art work. Work cited Arlene B.Hirschfelder, Yvonne Beamer. Native Americans Today: Resources and Activities for Educators, Grades 4-8. Published by Libraries Unlimited, 2000,p 23-76 Colin F. Taylor. The American Indian: The Indigenous People Of North America. Courage Books, 2002, p112-223 Davenport, Milia. The Book of Costume. New York, Crown Publishers, 1948, p 54-97 Gilbert, Creighton. History of Renaissance Art throughout Europe. New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1973, p65-105 Laver, James. Costume and Fashion. A Concise History. New York, Tha mes and Hudson, 1985, p 67-89