In the first place, the wearing of feathers is not peculiar to the
Indians, except in the value attached to them as symbols of character
and true worth. Any one may wear any sort of feather as ornament merely,
or in imitation of the old-time warrior, but with him it was a serious
affair. He adopted only the feathers of certain birds, and these must be
worn in accordance with well-understood law and custom.
The following birds are held in especially high honor: namely, the
eagle, raven, and falcon, commonly called hawk. But it must be borne in
mind that as far as the Indian is concerned, there is only one hawk that
holds an honorable position: that is the American falcon. He is daring
to recklessness in his methods of warfare and hunting, and though not
large, is swift and graceful. The raven is held next to the eagle in
dignity and wisdom; and the owl comes next on the roll of honored birds.
Some of the water-fowl, such as the loon, cormorant, and pelican, play a
minor part in our myths and folklore, but in the warriors' codes and
emblems only the dashing and courageous birds of prey are permitted to
appear--the American eagle standing first.
The feathers of this bird are highly prized, since they stand for brave
deeds and form a warrior's record. They are variously worn among
different tribes. Perhaps the best and completest system was developed
by the Sioux nation; a system which was gradually adopted by their
neighbors on the plains, and which I shall follow closely.
No Sioux may wear an eagle's tail-feather unless he has counted a coup,
or stroke, upon an enemy, dead or alive. If in a battle, the deed is
witnessed by his fellow-warriors; but if he was alone when he made the
count, he must have unmistakable proof, or the feather is not awarded.
There are four _coup_ counts on each enemy, and these are secured in
succession. Even upon a living enemy, if he is overpowered and held
captive, these four counts could properly be shared by the warriors. But
it is obvious that in most cases they are very difficult to secure. A
man may strike an enemy in a hand-to-hand battle, or, as you would say,
in a "mix-up," and he gets away without being killed or even seriously
hurt. In this case, only one _coup_ is counted. Again, many foes are
killed upon whose bodies no _coup_ at all is counted, because it is
impossible to obtain, and upon others, one or two may be taken with much
difficulty and superb daring in the face of the enemy's fire. Herein
lies the relative value of individual feathers, and the degree of valor
shown or difficulty encountered determines the subsidiary trimmings,
tassels, and ornaments.
Primarily, every eagle feather worn by a warrior represents a _coup_
given in battle. This is important to remember. No other feather stands
for the same thing, though different degrees of courage and endurance
may be expressed by other feathers.
For instance, a group of raven or of Canadian goose feathers trimmed on
the sides, indicates that the wearer has been wounded in battle more
than once. A single goose feather dyed red and trimmed, means that the
wearer was severely wounded in battle. Sometimes a man wears an eagle
feather dyed or trimmed, meaning that he was wounded at the time he
counted the _coup_. An eagle feather notched and the cut dyed red, means
that the wearer counted the _coup_ and took the scalp also, but was
wounded while so doing.
He may have the feather cut off at the tip, showing that he killed his
foe and counted the _coup_ on that same enemy. If he fought a desperate
battle, with the odds against him, in which he came off victor, he may
tip his eagle's feather with buffalo hair; and if he counted _coup_ in a
charge on horseback in the face of imminent danger, he may tip it with
hair from a horse's tail.
Among some tribes, the wearing of a split feather denotes that the
wearer has been wounded, and when the feather is clipped off at the tip,
that he has taken a scalp. When a warrior wears one eagle feather
upright and the rest drooping, it indicates that he was surrounded in
company with a party of warriors of whom he was the sole survivor.
As I have said, the Indian might wear as many eagle feathers as he had
counted _coups_. When he had won a number of these in difficult
circumstances, and had been held at bay and surrounded by the enemy, but
succeeded in getting away, he was entitled to a regular war-bonnet. Only
an exceptional record of many battles in which he had shown great
coolness, skill, and daring, entitled him to the long, trailing
war-bonnet of many plumes.
There are other ornaments and portions of a warrior's dress that bear a
special significance. If he has been in the vanguard of battle more than
once and led counter-charges, he may wear the whole skin of a raven on
his back in the dances. If he has pursued his enemy into the hostile
camp and killed him there, he may wear an otter skin slit up the middle
so that his head comes through, and the head of the animal hangs upon
his chest. A garter made of skunk's skin with the head and tail on,
shows that he has successfully taken a scalp under the enemy's fire. He
wears a grizzly bear's claws when he has been surrounded, but charged
singly, bear-like, and repulsed the enemy. The paws of a grizzly bear,
claws and all, denote that he has knocked off or pulled off the foe in a
mounted encounter.
The deer-tail head-gear dyed in shades of red, with a thin square of
bone, resembling ivory, in the center, to which one or more eagle
feathers are attached, is equivalent to the eagle feather war-bonnet.
The quill end of each feather is placed in the hollow of a goose's
wing-bone embossed with the beautiful iridescent neck-skin of a drake,
and the whole forms an imposing ornament.
The wearing of the skins of certain animals and birds represents the
totem, or, as it were, the coat-of-arms of the Indian. These symbols
take a wide range, almost every familiar bird and animal, even fish and
reptiles, being used as a sort of charm or talisman, some for healing,
and others for protection from harm. But these things are not mere dead
feathers or skins to the Indians; they symbolize an appeal to the
brotherly spirit of the animal representing their individual lodge or
clan, and are honored in recognition of the wonderful intuitive power of
the dumb creatures. The Indian believes that instinct comes more
directly from the "Great Mystery" than reason even; why else does an
animal or child show wisdom without thought?
The addition of an ermine skin to the war-bonnet is an honor that few
warriors earned in the old days. It is a degree of the highest type. The
man who is recognized as a past master of courage, having achieved all
the decorations of a patriot and a true warrior, dauntless in war, yet
gentle at home, a friend and a brother--he alone may wear ermine upon
his war-bonnet, or trim his ceremonial shirt with the beautiful white
fur.
The addition of buffalo-hair trimming to a warrior's bonnet or shirt or
leggings is an indication that he has taken many scalps. If he is a
chief, he may even have a buffalo tail dangle from one of his teepee
poles. No one may do so without the authority of the tribe. Neither can
the councilors confer these degrees without actual proof of service. No
favoritism is possible under our system, and the highest degrees are
conferred only upon men who have been tried again and again by every
conceivable ordeal. Heroism is common, because the universal spirit of
gallantry and chivalry requires it.
At a public dance, an Indian may recount some particular brave deed.
This he acts out for the benefit of the younger element. He could not
add anything to it, because the event is already well known. When the
old customs were intact, it was the old warriors who claimed this
privilege, and they, too, were allowed to paint their bodies in
imitation of their severe wounds.
I remember very well in a great tribal dance that there were many of
these old men who enacted their deeds with great spirit, and one had
painted the upper half of his face black, with zig-zag lines
representing lightning, the whole symbolic of a terrific battle. The
lower part of his face, even with the mouth and including it was painted
red, with streaks running down upon the chin. Every Indian would know
that he had been wounded in the mouth. Another had painted in the middle
of his broad chest a red hole, and from it there ran some red streaks,
with a fine Crow arrow depicted in realistic fashion.
These customs have their barbarous side, but a really touching feature
is that a warrior always shares his honors with his war-horse. Such a
horse may wear an eagle plume in his forelock as proudly as his master,
his tail or mane may be trimmed and dyed according to his rider's war
record, or he may be made to mourn for him by having it cut quite short.
Sometimes an acknowledged warrior decorates his long pipe-stem or the
handle of his war-club. But no person can wear the honorable insignia of
another; in fact, he can wear none that have not been awarded to him in
due course by the council of his tribe.
The Boy Scouts may, if they choose, adapt this system to the honors
counted in their organization, grading the various exploits in
accordance with the real manhood needed to accomplish them.