Eagle Feather Headdress

Former TitleWar Bonnet

CultureNorthern Cheyenne, Montana

Dateca. 1875

MediumEagle, hawk, owl, raven, and dyed down feathers, rawhide, native tanned leather, wool and cotton cloth, glass beads, ermine skin, silk ribbon, and natural and dyed horsehair

DimensionsOverall: 70 inches (177.8 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number31-125/38

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

North American Indian Art

Terms

DescriptionBeaded brow band. Green diamonds with red and blue edging on yellow ground. Feathers mounted on green felt with red edging.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

Headdresses are among the most spectacular and compelling objects of all Native American ceremonial regalia. The man who wore this magnificent eagle feather war bonnet would have been known for his military achievement, personal valor and leadership. Each tail feather represents a distinct honor earned in war by the wearer or other tribal members, and the headdress in its totality symbolizes the owner’s bravery, political stature and responsibility to the people. Only the greatest warriors would presume to wear one in battle or ceremonial events, and in pre-reservation times few men achieved this honor. By the beginning of the 20th century, however, eagle feather headdresses had become the prevailing symbol of Native American identity throughout North America, and much of their original significance was lost.

Provenance

John Jay White (1860-1923), New York, by 1921-1923 [1];

Inherited from White by his wife, Grace Hoffman White (1862-1937), 1923-1925;

Her gift to the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation, New York, no. 104347, 1925-1931 [2];

Transferred from the Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation, New York, to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931 [3].

NOTES:

[1] National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, object documentation, accession lot 1921.0135. White lent the headdress to the Museum of the American Indian in 1921.

[2] The Museum of the American Indian-Heye Foundation was founded in 1916 by George Heye (1874-1957) and opened to the public in New York City in 1922. In 1989, the remaining collection was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and became part of the National Museum of the American Indian.

[3] In 1931, the Nelson-Atkins co-sponsored two archaeological expeditions with the Heye Foundation: one to Colombia that was directed by Gregory Mason, and a second to the Orinoco River region of Venezuela, directed by Herbert S. Dickey. The partage agreement between the two institutions specified that if the value of the found objects did not match the dollar amount invested by the Nelson-Atkins, the Heye Foundation would transfer objects from its own collection to the Nelson-Atkins to make up the difference, while also giving the Nelson-Atkins an opportunity to purchase additional objects from the Heye Foundation. When the archaeological excavations failed to meet expectations, this was one of a group of objects that were transferred/purchased from the Heye Foundation’s collection to the Nelson-Atkins.

Published References

Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

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