Featherwork
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Featherwork is the working of feathers into a cultural artifact. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania and parts of America, such as the Aztecs.
Feathered robes and capes were worn by Hawaiian royalty; many are now on display at the Bishop Museum. The market for feathers drove birds with desirable feathers, such as the ‘ō‘ō and mamo, to extinction, though the sacred scarlet honeycreeper survived despite its popularity.
Although featherwork is primarily used for clothing, headdresses, ceremonial shields, and tapestries, the Pomo peoples of California are famous for the minute featherwork of their grass baskets, many of which are on display at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington.
[edit] See also
- Coyotlinahual, Aztec patron god of featherworkers
