﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  WARFARE 
  447 
  

  

  assistance 
  of 
  many 
  persons. 
  A 
  sort 
  of 
  skull 
  cap 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  dressed 
  

   deer 
  skin, 
  with 
  a 
  flap 
  hanging 
  behind 
  ; 
  a 
  border 
  of 
  folded 
  skin 
  about 
  

   the 
  edge 
  formed 
  the 
  foundation 
  for 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  golden 
  eagle 
  feathers, 
  

   which 
  were 
  fastened 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  stand 
  upright 
  about 
  the 
  wearer's 
  head. 
  

   Each 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  feathers 
  stood 
  for 
  a 
  man; 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  hair 
  fastened 
  

   to 
  the 
  feathers 
  and 
  painted 
  red 
  represented 
  the 
  man's 
  scalp 
  lock. 
  

   Before 
  a 
  feather 
  could 
  be 
  fastened 
  on 
  the 
  bonnet 
  a 
  man 
  must 
  count 
  

   his 
  honors 
  which 
  entitled 
  him 
  to 
  wear 
  the 
  feather 
  and 
  enabled 
  him 
  to 
  

   prepare 
  the 
  feather 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  decorating 
  the 
  war 
  bonnet. 
  

  

  As 
  so 
  many 
  persons 
  were 
  required 
  ceremonially 
  to 
  prepare 
  the 
  

   feathers 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  war 
  bonnet, 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  desired 
  to 
  

   have 
  such 
  bonnet 
  prepared 
  a 
  feast 
  and 
  invited 
  to 
  his 
  lodge 
  his 
  

   warrior 
  friends; 
  these 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  feast 
  and 
  then 
  counted 
  their 
  

   honors 
  on 
  the 
  eagle 
  plumes 
  and 
  so 
  made 
  them 
  ready 
  for 
  use. 
  For- 
  

   merly 
  only 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  taken 
  a 
  scalp 
  could 
  put 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  red 
  

   hair 
  on 
  the 
  eagle 
  feathers, 
  so 
  that 
  every 
  feather 
  thus 
  ornamented 
  

   stood 
  for 
  two 
  honors 
  — 
  the 
  feather 
  itself 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  three 
  war 
  

   honors, 
  the 
  tip 
  for 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  a 
  scalp. 
  When 
  a 
  warrior 
  counted 
  

   his 
  honors, 
  he 
  held 
  up 
  the 
  feathers 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  represent 
  these 
  

   honors, 
  saying: 
  "In 
  such 
  a 
  battle 
  I 
  did 
  thus," 
  etc. 
  At 
  the 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  of 
  the 
  recital 
  the 
  feather 
  was 
  handed 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  was 
  

   manufacturing 
  the 
  bonnet, 
  who 
  put 
  the 
  feather 
  in 
  the 
  proper 
  place. 
  

   As 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  bonnets 
  contained 
  fifty 
  or 
  more 
  feathers, 
  and 
  as 
  

   each 
  feather 
  must 
  have 
  an 
  honor 
  counted 
  on 
  it 
  and 
  no 
  honor 
  could 
  

   be 
  counted 
  twice, 
  the 
  manufacturer 
  of 
  a 
  war 
  bonnet 
  required 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  helpers 
  and 
  the 
  task 
  took 
  considerable 
  time 
  — 
  often 
  several 
  

   days. 
  Strips 
  of 
  ermine, 
  arranged 
  to 
  fall 
  over 
  the 
  ears 
  and 
  cheeks, 
  

   were 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  bonnet. 
  The 
  ermine 
  represented 
  alertness 
  and 
  

   skill 
  in 
  evading 
  pursuit. 
  A 
  bird 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  symbolic 
  object 
  could 
  

   be 
  fastened 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  cap. 
  This 
  object 
  was 
  generally 
  

   some 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  man's 
  vision, 
  through 
  which 
  he 
  believed 
  he 
  

   received 
  supernatural 
  aid 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  need. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  flap 
  was 
  

   embroidered 
  with 
  porcupine 
  work 
  or 
  painted 
  with 
  symbolic 
  designs. 
  

   Songs 
  were 
  sung 
  during 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  bonnet. 
  Before 
  the 
  

   advent 
  of 
  horses 
  the 
  flap 
  of 
  the 
  bonnet 
  did 
  not 
  extend 
  below 
  the 
  

   waist, 
  thus 
  avoiding 
  interference 
  with 
  walking 
  or 
  with 
  the 
  wearing 
  

   of 
  other 
  ornaments, 
  as 
  "the 
  Crow;" 
  but 
  after 
  horses 
  became 
  plentiful 
  

   the 
  flap 
  was 
  extended 
  to 
  a 
  man's 
  feet 
  when 
  standing; 
  when 
  the 
  man 
  

   was 
  mounted, 
  it 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  horse. 
  

  

  A 
  noted 
  warrior 
  might 
  arrange 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  war 
  bonnet 
  made 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  present 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  valiant 
  and 
  well-known 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  a 
  son. 
  

   Such 
  an 
  act 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  honor 
  to 
  the 
  family, 
  and 
  in 
  

   acknowledgment 
  valuable 
  gifts 
  would 
  be 
  bestowed 
  on 
  the 
  donor. 
  

   The 
  presentation 
  to 
  the 
  son 
  was 
  a 
  challenge 
  to 
  him 
  to 
  achieve 
  honors 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  won 
  by 
  the 
  warrior 
  who 
  made 
  the 
  gift. 
  As 
  such 
  

  

  