Creewoman05

What are your thoughts of feathers on roaches:

My friends son doesn't have any, and all I have are the big "spike" feathers, that are from the tip of the wing, furthtest away from the body.


I wonder if this would be ok for a young boy, just entered kindergarten,

DancersMom

What style is your son dancing? I don't know much about Tradish but mu son is grass and I am making him a roach right now so I have been doing alot of looking at pow wows and pics most have something. I know my son is not ready for eagle he has to learn respect first, imatation would be ok but what I have seen that I really like is colored fluffs on the tip it looks great and that is what I am going to do. I am going to try guitar string laced through the spreader and bead up to the fluffs. I am going to use 3 or 4 different colors of fluffs and make it look full they kinda bounce like chicken dancers but without the feathers. I hope this helps look at lots of pics that is how I learn to do everything. Good Luck

Creewoman05

My friends son, not mine little Grass Dancer, as to the reason I put this tread in its category

DancersMom

LOL My son is 12. No eagle for him.

Creewoman05

Ok, anyone know if spikes would be acceptable in the place of more round feathers in a grass dance roach for a little boy?

Rolling Thunder

I've never heard any teachings on the specifics for roach feathers, I've just always assumed people always used the 2 end feathers of the tail b/c they aren't really neccesary in a fan.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't. He'd just look different than the other boys with their roach feathers.

__________________
"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking."
-Black Elk

Creewoman05

Thanks for your input. Have to wait and see what his mom says. Pretty much giving her kids the feathers (for the boy) and plumes for the girls.

Was a trade for my headband, and plus the kids are so cute Ain't that right CDN_NDNS?

sookout sh'nob

And there just happens to be a good reason for two feathers in a roach (it used to be one, but that's another story). I'll give you the short version.

If you've ever been out hunting, it's always nice to have another guy with to cover ground you would otherwise miss. When they would go out hunting, they would ride on separate sides of the creek in order to drive game to one another. When guys join up for the Armed forces, maybe they sign up with a buddy in the hopes of being stationed together. My uncles all did this, but because they were all from the same family - they were split up to different posts. You get the idea though- if you don't go in with a buddy you can trust, I hear that you find one quick.

Anyhow, one day this young man is out with his buddy and they are going to battle someone else - I don't know who, but it's a big fight. His buddy gets wounded and killed there, so he takes his friends feather before they bury him. We don't know exactly why he took it, but it was to honor his brother somehow. They had the ceremonies and buried him and some time passed.

The next dance they had after that burial, the man shows up wearing his feather and his friends feather tied in his roach like that - to honor his brother and life long friend. He was the first man to wear feathers this way and we remember him today because of the love he had for his friend - as a reminder of how we should behave with our own friends and also - how no one really does anything alone (it's pretty much impossible in an indigenous thought paradigm)

So breifly, that's why we wear two feathers.

And unless otherwise instructed by someone you trust - I'd wait and try to get some round ones - the pointers were typically used for the anchors in a bonnet and have their own specific meaning.

Rolling Thunder

well, now that I think of it, a lot of grass dancers also wear plumes, (they're extended, but many have them.)

__________________
"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking."
-Black Elk

sookout sh'nob

This one I don't know, but as near as I can tell... it's a fairly modern development and has to do with the seed at the top of grass stalks when it's ripe. Makes as much sense as anything else - I haven't seen any in historical photos - but I guess that doesn't mean they weren't there.

At any rate -they move cool - I love 'em!

*I bet Bum knows more about this*

Grassy

the kiis too young for eagle feathers, kids that youngare still learning and like to play around a lot and thats how feathers fall out i suggest you give the mom the feathers but tell her to hold on to them until they are older