Eagle Feathers

[mullet]

 I have to agree with you, I'd rather see some used on an arrow than for trinkets. But then it might not be any different then someone hanging one of those little flags from their mirror of some country their ancestors came from I'm also mildly amused at all the "white" indians that get  defensive at something they percieve as offensive to the NDN culture  they are not part of or truley understand. JMO

[Michael C.]

Oh Michael, the Cheyenne arrows I saw all had the power of lightning carved into the shafting...don't know if that will help or not.. Hawk a/ho

You made me laugh with the beginning of your first comment.

Some of the different Comanche ones I have seen have some sort of totem or special coloring to them depending on what they were used for or who they were made by. Most of the Comanche/Kiowa versions I have seen are bone points, but I'm going to learn how to knap and make some stone or trade points. I'm heading out to see a buddy of mine in a few weeks and that will give me a chance to catch up with a lot of people I haven't seen in 10 or 15 years, so it will be a good reunion. One of the leaders of the NA Church there is his uncle and I was planning on talking with him about it while I am there, so I don't do anything accidentally.

I am Chickasaw but I grew up most of my early life with Comanches/Kiowas/Apaches and have been raised going to ceremonies with their(my) family and buried some of my mothers and fathers with my brothers there, so please don't think I take these cultural concerns lightly. I really do appreciate the thoughts and concerns about what I am doing, but again this is a culture that I grew up in and am still around, even though I am not as around it as much now. The issue isn't about if this is right or wrong, I think as a person from my culture/heritage I can and understand what the repercussions of what I am doing are.

If I make the arrow/arrows they aren't going to be for a practice target, it will be much like Hawk said a very special arrow that I will only use for certain hunts. I haven't ever gone hunting, but I think it would be special to me if I took my first doe/buck with one of these arrows if I make it, this isn't a certainty and I have time to consider what I am doing and make sure it's right for me.

Please don't take this as me being offended by anything that has been said here, I'm not, but I just wanted you guys to know where I come from and that I'm not just doing this willy nilly.

The question was if there are any special attributes to the feathers like recovery of snap on the fletch or what have you. It may be that I use one feather in combo with some Turkey or Swan feathers, but I will have to wait and see.

[Tom Leemans]

Just admire them, and use turkey feathers on your arras. They can't be SO much better that it's worth any risk. Even if I wanted to make a ceremonial arrow, I'd be getting written permission from Uncle Sam to do it, then I still would probably not do it.

[Tsalagi]

Ah, my apologies Michael. I didn't realize you were NDN. From your first post on this thread, I thought you were a raptor rehabber getting an "unreleasable" Eagle. I understand totally what you're doing now. I support that.

We need a joke to lighten things up around here. A good arrow joke.

Q: How did people know that General Custer was heavily into fashion?

A: He was found dead wearing an Arrow shirt! 

Bada bump bing! Thank you, thank you, folks! I'll be here all week! Tip your waitress, try the Manhattan clam chowder, and don't forget kareoke night!

[Traxx]

They are pretty soft for arrow fletches.Turkey and a few select others are tougher.

[stickbender]

     Comanche's an apache's together?!!!   I thought that was still a sore subject?  I'll have  ask a friend of mine who is full Apache.  If I can find where she moved to.....   And......what is NDN ?


                                                                               Wayne

[El Destructo]

     And......what is NDN ?


                                                                               Wayne

Pronounce the Letters ....as you say them...they say.....................

Just a little Native American humor!!

The Tribes were never Indians...they were Native Americans...........

[Michael C.]

     Comanche's an apache's together?!!!   I thought that was still a sore subject?  I'll have  ask a friend of mine who is full Apache.  If I can find where she moved to.....   And......what is NDN ?


                                                                               Wayne

Yeah they aren't living in teepees anymore either  I have a lot of friends that are mixed, most of my relatives are mixed with tribes that we once fought against, it's called progress/assimilation  Most of the people aren't full blood anything anymore, if they ever really were there isn't any historical reference to really tell, they are a mixture of tribes. Heck I know a lot of registered full blood Creeks that don't have a drop of NA blood, freed men of African descent, in them but they were adopted into the tribe before the Dawes Act and are considered part of the tribe.

[El Destructo]

Thats part of being One of the "5 Civilized Tribes"............ I spent a year and a half in the Kiowa/Mc Alester/Lake Eufala area building a Co generation Power Plant in Kiowa during the mid 90's....lots of good people over that way....good Native Church too........ I really loved the Country there....but it's too damned Humid and Hot for this Damned Yankee.........

[Michael C.]

Thats part of being One of the "5 Civilized Tribes"............ I spent a year and a half in the Kiowa/Mc Alester/Lake Eufala area building a Co generation Power Plant in Kiowa during the mid 90's....lots of good people over that way....good Native Church too........ I really loved the Country there....but it's too damned Humid and Hot for this Damned Yankee.........

El D did you ever get the directions out to your place? If you did drop them in a PM to me and I would be happy to go check it out.

[El Destructo]

I'll send you an email........

[gutpile]

registered native americans can posses eagle feathers and other wildlife parts that are illegal to non native americans...its about the ONLY thing that the government did that was for the native americans culture...

[Michael C.]

registered native americans can posses eagle feathers and other wildlife parts that are illegal to non native americans...its about the ONLY thing that the government did that was for the native americans culture...

We can get commods if we want them too, gotta love the cheese and powdered eggs/milk I ate so much of the cheese one time when I was a kid I had a hard time gettin' rid of it, if you know what I mean 

[El Destructo]

Don't take this the wrong way ....My Family and my Wife's are both have ties to Native America.... Me on My Mothers side from  the Ohio Tribes...my Wife on Her Mothers side from Canada...The United States Government did more than let the NDN's play with Feathers..and Dead Animal parts....The Ojibwa and Ottawa back home have unlimited Hunting and Fishing Rights....this extends well past feeding their Tribes...it goes as far as stripping the Great lakes of all of Her Salmon and Native Trout...not for Subsistence...but for Sheer Greed and Profit....harvesting all of the Wild Rice along Lake Superiors Shores...and then Selling it for Profit....The Federal Government is no Innocent here...but then neither are the Tribes either....If the Money went into Education or for the Betterment of their People that would be one thing...but it has no impact on the Poor...only a choice few are getting Rich..everything is done for the Everlovin greenback...no matter what the Color of the Skin is.....Nuff Said

Now back to Michaels Poll...I too believe that they look great...but a Turkey feather is so much stronger than a Eagles feather...but they sure would look cool on a Dozen nice Cane Shafts and Obsidian Points in my Quiver too.......

[Michael C.]

Yup not a person in the world that is all good out there, just flawed men and women.

I don't plan on making that many (12) though maybe 1 or 2, for special hunts.