Obviously, different headdresses represent different things according to the culture that it is in. The headdress that I am investigating is the (native American) Indian headdress. The history behind such a headdress can also be tricky because it has a different significance according to the various tribes. One thing that has always been assumed is that headdresses are reserved for the status of Chief of a tribe but many times it is just restricted to higher ranking members of a tribe.
I am an eighth Cherokee indian but I had never before pondered the meaning of the prestigious headdress. Some notes have pointed out that headdresses are most commonly seen as being composed of feathers. The means of how the owner of the headdress cam upon receiving his headdress has never really been explained. What makes one man more worthy than another of deserving the prestigious headdress?
A headdress is said to be earned by a boy entering manhood. The headdress has to be earned by showing a member of his tribe that he is worthy of such a (fashion) statement. Once a member of the tribe is presented with his headdress then he can work to add feathers to his headdress according to the amount of tasks that he completes or by accomplishing an act of bravery that is seen as being worthy of a feather.
I am a believer in the notion that it is better to have earned something that to have been given something. By earning their feathers, Indians came to know just how special each one was because of the amount of determination and strength that it took to achieve their tasks. The headdresses then, therefore, become even more special to each tribal member because it tells the story of that man’s journey.
Like previously mentioned, headdresses are seen differently based on the tribe that is being put under the magnifying glass. The information obtained for this particular blog post is from the website: http://www.indians.org/articles/indian-headdress.html.
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ForeignFashion 