Fig. [172].—Pattern for war bonnet.
Real chiefs like Turning Eagle, Swift Dog, Crazy Bull, and others, wore gorgeous feather headdresses, and gloried in the strange war bonnets, not because they were gay and startling, but for the reason that each separate feather in the head-band meant that the owner had performed a brave deed of which the tribe was proud, and the greater the number of brave deeds the greater the number of feathers; consequently the longer the bonnet-trail. This explains the real meaning of the common expression, "A feather in your cap."
Fig. [173].—Indian war bonnet.
Fig. [174].—Tie the four poles together and tie thongs across centre for your travois.
Your Indian must be a mighty chief and will need a very long-trailing
War Bonnet.
Cut the head-dress like [Fig. 172] of white paper. Paint all the paper horse-hair tips on the paper eagle feathers red, the tops of the feathers black, and the band in which they are fastened yellow, red, and green, leaving white spaces between the colors ([Fig. 173]). Cut out, then turn the end of the band F ([Fig. 172]) until the loop fits the Indian's head, and glue the end of the loop on the strip ([Fig. 173]). Paste fringed yellow paper around each of the chieftain's feet, fringed edge uppermost, to serve as moccasins. Part the Indian's hair at the back, bring the two divisions in front, one on each side of the head, and wind each with scarlet worsted as the real Indian wears his hair, then wrap around your red man a soft, dull-colored cloth extending from the waist to the knees. Pin the drapery in place and the chief will be ready to take charge of his bronco pony, which may be any toy horse you happen to possess. The horse in the illustration is an ordinary cloth toy.
Red men are not fond of remaining long in one place, and naturally your Indian will soon want to break camp and carry his belongings elsewhere. Help him prepare by making