Headdress

Clothing/Dress/Costume

-

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Headdress

Entry/Object ID

L2024.3.164a-b

Description

a. Feathers attached to green felt cap with blue feather "wraps." White, blue, green, and red beaded browband. Red ribbon chin strap. b. cotton bag

Context

This heavily worn headdress is a mix of well-done beadwork and naïve, culturally inappropriate details like the feather wraps and the crude felt side pendant drops. Later correspondence with the dealer indicated that it “came from a picker out of Raymond (on the shores of Sebago Lake), Maine.” This may be an example of period “Indian Enthusiast” art, perhaps from a children’s camp at the Lake. However, this item saw long sustained use and expedient (inexpert) repair that is generally not characteristic of enthusiast wear. There are records of Native people making and wearing native clothing during this period, and this is probably an example of that tradition. Local Native People also would don “Indian Clothes” for performance or selling crafts at tourist areas like Sebago Lake. It comes with its original cotton drawstring bag. This is the type of adult headdress that appears in 20th century “Blanket and Headdress” photographs of Western Abenaki Men (see 2024.3.154).

Acquisition

Source (if not Accessioned)

Abenaki Cultural Conservancy

Clothing/Dress/Costume Details

Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume

Headdress

Clothing Sex

Male

Textile Details

Material

Feather, Felt, Beads

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1930

Place

State/Province

Maine

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Headdress

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Regalia

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Status Symbols

Nomenclature Class

Personal Symbols

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects