Do-it-yourself eagle feathers

Proposed eagle aviary promotes sovereigntySince coming from the coast of New Hampshire to be curator for the Navajo Nation Zoo, Matthew Holdgate has been immersed in sovereignty issues. The zoo’s proposed eagle aviary is another form of sovereignty, he says.

While possession of eagle feathers that don’t come through the federal government is considered illegal—even possession of feathers that have been handed down generation to generation—with an aviary, the Navajo Nation could dispense them as it pleases.

“You don’t need to tell them what you’re doing with them, you don’t need to tell them who you’re giving them out to,” he said.

The only thing standing in the way of distributing eagle feathers for cultural use is $442,000 in funding for supplies, contractual services and construction, and Holdgate is actively searching for that, he told the Resources Committee last week in an update requested by the committee.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Black Market for Eagle Feathers.