The War on War Bonnets : Culture or Couture?

Goyakla, an Bedonkhoe Apache warrior and leader, with a 48-feather headdress.

The war bonnet, also known as a headdress, is an undoubtfully beautiful headpiece worn by certain Native Americans. Like a crown of eagle feathers each intrically sewn by hand, it's no wonder why it's such a symbol of nobility and respect ; but the respect is lost when outsiders replicate the look. I'd definitely say the Native American headdress is one of the, if not the, most commonly appropriated commodities of any race.

"Edgy" white girl paints her face and wears war bonnet for no reason

You can easily search the Internet and find dozens of instances where (usually) white women sport the war bonnet on runways or music videos, and that's where the first issue arises. War bonnets are almost exclusively worn men, and Native men at that. Eagles are said to be the highest flying birds in First Nation mythology, and are seen as the closest to god. For that reason, each single feather on a headdress has a honorable story behind it, and have to be earned by tribe leaders or warriors. The warbonnet is considered so sacred that non-Native people are often asked to refraining from touching them.

"But, I'm just honoring the culture!" is probably the most commonly heard thing about cultural appropriation, and in this case, the invalidity of the statement is very apparent. Not only does it have a rich symbolic meaning, but taking anything from First Nations would be horrific. I'd go as far as saying that Native American are one of the less represented minorities across media and despite their mass genocide, still don't have enough justice today (in my opinion).

Native Americans are rarely in movies or other media, but hey, let's make an entire culture a mascot!

I still remember when I was around 12, and a relative informed me of my Native American descend ; my stepmom told me "Don't tell anyone though, it's kind of uncool.". Now although this heritage takes up a pointless percentage of my nationality, this comment really stuck with me. To know that some of my ancestors were victim to so many horrific crimes makes me want to speak louder and use my privilege to give them a voice.

Something important I've learned about cultural appropriation is that people really only seem to care when they are benefiting. People will whine about how "sensitive" society has become because they can't wear a headdress, but even the government doesn't want to talk about the 1,200+ missing or murdered Native women. To strip the First Nations of one of their most sacred things, along with their land and people is an indescribably vile thing and I hope this post explains to you why you shouldn't wear the headdress.

Sources : "Geronimo, the Native American Indian Chief of Chiricahua Apache Tribe." NDepth. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?" Native Appropriations. 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls" AMMSA. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Atrocities Against Native Americans" United to End Genocide. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.