Popular, soft strung Marabou

The fine soft feathers from the Marabou Stork are prized for their soft fine quality. They can be dyed or left in their natural state and are often used in millinery or for a feather fan. Strung for costuming or other embellishing projects, strung Marabou are popular. Native American, or "Indian" feathers are another bird altogether, or, rather, birds. With the gorgeous tones and patterns in the hawk, eagle, and crow feathers, familiar to those indigenous to the North American Continent, it's no surprise that these species' feathers are purchased from feather suppliers and have been used symbolically and decoratively for centuries. In fact, these are still used today to create Native American items of beauty and utility, to evoke the cultural structures and to engage a sense of connection within communities.

The decor worn by different cultures is a source of fascination for sociologists and archeologists alike. After all, the ways in which people dress, what they use for ornamentation, says much about what is important to them and the culture by which they are shaped. Native American, or "indian" feathers, for example, are now often used to create crafts that evoke the Native American culture. Bronze wild turkeys provide a beautiful nearly copper feather. Originally, indigenous people who populated the North American continent were actually several "nations," each with its own customs and forms of costume. And styles of clothing made from deer or buckskin or feathers from the eagle were widely disparate, depending on the nation tribe and resources locally available to each. One item that would not have been used by the indigenous to the continent is the strung marabou that has gained such popularity in costuming. No, these feathers come from the Marabou Stork which lives primarily in Africa, south of the Sahara.