BULL. 30] 



FEATHERWORK 



455 



some instances the food was 1)rought 

 ready cooked to the lodge, in others it 

 was prepared in the presence of the as- 

 semljly. The ]ieople l)rought their own 

 eating vessels, for at these feasts one had 

 to eat all that was served to him or take 

 what was left to his home. 



In most tribal ceremonies sacred feasts 

 occurred, for which certain prescriljed 

 food was prepared and partaken of with 

 special ceremony. Feasts of this kind 

 often took place at the close of a cere- 

 mony, rarely at the beginning, although 

 sometimes they markeil a particular stage 

 in the proceedings. Among the Iroquois, 

 and perhaps other tribes, the owner 

 feasted his fetish (q. v.), and the cere- 

 mony of the calumet (q. v.), according 

 to early writers, was always concluded 

 with a feast, and was usually accompanied 

 by an exchange of ]iresents. 



Among the (_)mal)a and cognates there 

 was a gathering called "the fire-place 

 feast." A conipany of young men or of 

 young women, never of both sexes, met 

 together by invitation of one of their 

 number. When the company took their 

 places around the lire, a space at the w. 

 was left, where a bowl and spoon were 

 placed to represent the presence of Wa- 

 kanda, the giver of food. 



At every feast of any kind, on any 

 occasion where food was to be eaten, a 

 bit or small portion was first lifted to the 

 zenith, sometimes presented to the four 

 cardinal points, and then dropped upon 

 the earth at the edge of the fire or into 

 the fire. During this act, which was an 

 offering of thanks for the gift of food, 

 every one present remained silent and 

 motionless. See Etiquette, Fasting, Food, 

 Potlatch. 



Consult Dorsey and Voth in Field 

 Columbian Mus. Publ., Anthrop. ser., iii, 

 1900-03; Fewkes in 15th, 16th, and 19th 

 Rep. B. A. E., 1897-1900; Fletcher in 

 Publ. Peabodv Museum; Gatschet, Creek 

 Migr. Leg., i," 177, 1884; Hoffman in 7th 

 and 14th Reps. B. A. E., 1891, 1896; Jenks 

 in 19th Rep. B. A. E., 1900; Jesuit Rela- 

 tions, Thwaites ed., i-lxxiii, 1896-1901; 

 Matthews in Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 vr, 1902; Mindeleff in 17th Rep. B. A. E., 

 1898; Nelson in 18th Rep. B. A. E., 357, 

 1899. (a. c. F.) 



Featherwork. The feathers of birds en- 

 tered largely into the industries, decora- 

 tions, war, and worship of the Indians. 

 All common species lent their plumage 

 on occasion, but there were some that 

 were especially sought: in the Arctic re- 

 gions, water birds during their annual 

 migrations; the eagle everywhere; wild 

 turkeys in their ha])itat; ravens and flick- 

 ers on the N. Pacific coast; woodpeckers, 

 meadow larks, crested quail, mallard 

 ducks, jays, blackbirds, and orioles in 



California; and in the Pueblo region, 

 eagles, hawks, turkeys, and parrots espe- 

 cially. The prominent species in every 

 area were used. 



Not willing to depend on the fortunes 

 of the hunt, the Pueblo and Virginia In- 

 dians held eagles and turkeys in captivity 

 until such time as their feathers were 

 wanted. Property right in eagles of cer- 

 tain localities were recognized by the 

 Pueblos. In the Arctic regions parkas 

 were made of bird skins sewed together, 

 the feathers forming an excellent barrier 

 against the cold. To the southward the 

 skins of young waterfowl, while covered 

 with down, were sewed together for robes. 

 The historic tribes of the E. cut 1:)ird skins 

 into strips and wove them into blankets in 

 the same way that the western tribes 

 used rabbit skins. In the turkey robes 

 described by Capt. John Smith and other 

 early explorers the pretty feathersof these 

 birds were tied in knots to form a network, 

 out of Avhich beautiful patterned cloaks 

 were wrought. Fans and other acces- 

 sories of dress were made of wings or 

 feathers by the Iroquois and other tribes. 

 The uses of feathers in decoration were 

 numberless. The ^yestern Eskimo sewed 

 little sprays of down into the seams of 

 garments and bags made of intestjnal 

 membranes, and the California Indians 

 decorated their exquisite basketry in the 

 same manner. The quills of small birds, 

 split and dyed, were used for beautiful 

 endjroidery and basketry in the same 

 way as porcupine quills. For giving 

 directness to the flight of arrows, feathers 

 were usually split so that the halves could 

 be tied or glued to the shaftment in twos 

 or threes. Among the Eskimo and some 

 of the southwestern Indians the feathers 

 were laid on flat. Among California 

 tribes bird scalps were used as money, 

 being both a standard of value and a me- 

 dium of exchange. The most striknig 

 uses of feathers were in connection with 

 social customs and in symbolism. The 

 masks and the bodies of performers in 

 ceremonies of the n. Pacific coast were 

 copiously adorned with down. Feathers 

 worn by the Plains tri])es in the hair in- 

 dicated rank by their kind and number, 

 or by the manner of mounting or notch- 

 ing. The decoration of the stem of the 

 calumet (q. v. ) was of feathers, the col- 

 ors of which depended on the purpose for 

 which the calumet was offered. Whole 

 feathers of eagles were made into war- 

 bonnets, plumes, and long trails for 

 dances and solemnities. In the Pueblo 

 region feathers played an important role 

 in symbolism and worship — prayer- 

 sticks, wands, altar decorations, and as- 

 pergills were made of them. The downy 

 feather was to the mind of the Indian a 

 kind of bridge between the spirit world 



