Wingwise, The Feather Distribution Project

May 5, 2003 10:16 PM

The Feather Distribution Projectcollects molted wild turkey, macaw and parrot feathers and distributes them, free of charge, to Pueblo Indians for use in traditional religious ceremonies.
posted by gudrun (3 comments total)

Talk about worthy projects! This certainly makes a change from foisting alien cultural items on existing civilizations, not to mention stealing from them.

However, it does raise, to my mind at least, the question of whether the gathering of such materials isn't part of the process of their ritual manufacture. Or is this just ignorance on my part? Probably.

Thanks, gudrun!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:30 AM on May 6, 2003

Talk about worthy projects!

OK, the UN World Food Programme, Amnesty International, Cancer Research Institute...
posted by Pretty_Generic at 4:17 AM on May 6, 2003

However, it does raise, to my mind at least, the question of whether the gathering of such materials isn't part of the process of their ritual manufacture.

The Pueblo Indians have been importing macaw feathers from southern mexico for over a thousand years, it seems (last paragraph here). Searching around, I discovered another issue about the use of eagles for ceremonies. On one pueblo ceremony:

The ceremonial use of the feathers is especially important at the winter solstice. Then, the Katsina, or spirit of life, and the eagle, the embodiment of the overseer of life, are the central forces in pueblo religious belief. The eagle is the primary messenger to the spirit world and the ceremonial use of its feathers permits the living to communicate with the spirit world beyond. At the solstice, a fresh set of eagle feathers, including those from the tail, is required to finish costumes used in the Katsina solstice ritual. For the Kataina Society at Isleta Pueblo, it is of religious significance that these feathers be of a bird taken from aboriginal Isleta lands. Without such feathers, the religious purposes of the solstice ceremonies are defeated and a cardinal sacrament of the Isleta people is forfeited.

The Secretary of the Interior provides a limited number of eagle feathers for ceremonial use, but requests can take up to two years to be filled. On the rights of Pueblo Indians to take eagles from aboriginal lands.
posted by eddydamascene at 4:51 AM on May 6, 2003