The Significance of the Feather
Feathers are arguably one of the most well-known symbols of American Indian culture. When people think of Indians, they think or feathered headdresses. However, not too many people know what these feathers actually mean to the Native Americans who don them. I, myself was not too familiar with the deeper meaning of these feathers. I knew that they were some sort of religious garb, but I had no clue what these feathers spiritually entailed, so I did some research and this is what I found:
In general, feathers are worn by the chief to show their spiritual abilities to speak with the Great Spirit. These feathers are a symbol of prayer, ideas, and honor. Specifically, each type of feather has a different symbolic interpretation. The eagle feather is what the chiefs dress themselves with and represent honor and a connection with the Creator. Goose feathers are used to represent flight and are used when making arrows. The turkey feathers are used to decorate Kachina masks which are worn at various ceremonial dances. These feathers that are worn may be plain, beaded, or decorated in other ways. Usually, when feathers are artistically used, they are arranged in a circle, symbolizing the sun and the creator.
Another well-recognized symbol of Native American culture dealing with feathers is the dream catcher. Dream catchers originated from the Ojibway (Chippewa) tribe and were used as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. As the legend goes, the bad dreams are supposed to get caught in the web, and the good dreams pass through to the child. Traditionally, there is also at least one bead that is tied in to the middle of the web This bead is said to catch strength and knowledge from the dreams floating in the air and sends it to the sleeping child.
AIS 101 