Talk:Headdress/@comment-29445419-20180503013407/@comment-34811750-20180503030126

The reason it is different than the head feather is because in Native American culture, the headdress is given to respected men and rarely women. I am going to post a short quote from wikipedia here.

"Native American tribes consider the presentation of an eagle feather to be one of their highest marks of respect. Any honored person must have earned their feather through selfless acts of courage and honour, or been gifted them in gratitude for their work or service to their tribe. Traditional deeds that brought honour would include acts of valor in battle, but also political and diplomatic gains or acts that helped their community survive and prosper. The esteem attached to eagle feathers was so high that in many cases, such as a warrior (e.g. Dog Soldiers of the Cheyenne), only two or three honour feathers might be awarded in their whole lifetime. Historically, the warrior who was the first to touch an enemy in battle and escape unscathed received an eagle feather. When enough feathers were collected, they might be incorporated into a headdress or some other form of worn regalia. Headdresses were usually reserved exclusively for the tribe's chosen political and spiritual leaders."

While the head feathers are along the same lines as a headdress, or war bonnet, they are more freely obtained than the headdresses.

I may be wrong, but I did research on this because I wondered the same thing.