I hope some nice hawk's and crow feathers and would like to decorate my flute. How would I do that. Thanks in advance.

Lawrence

hi musicman, I took leather strips and wrapped it around my flute leaving tails of the leather and then took beads and slipped the feather through the beads with the leather. I think it looks nice that way. good luck

Just a note of caution; there are some strange and unusual laws in the US regarding use and posession of bird feathers.

My por feeble mind seems to remember a discussion about that in this forum a few months back but I may be wrong. Anyway it is something to check in to. In some cases even feathers picked up from your own back yard are illegal.

Just to chime in with an echo, do take care to check local laws.

There are also laws with exceptions... for example, I cannot sell Wolf fur here in California, but I can own legally harvested fur and tails (which I hang on the NA drums I make). There are stricter laws, for example, that do not allow me to possess an eagle feather... or to even joke about it . LOL. J/K... but registered members of any NA tribe are exempt.

Crow feathers, at least in my neck of the hundred acre wood, are pretty common. I am awakened by them, and they sometimes leave offereings of feathers at my door. Similarily with the local forests, but that might not hold true elseware.

If you have any doubts, contact the Dept of Fish and Game for direction.

I hook my eagle feathers...er, um, turkey feathers painted to look like eagle feathers on my flutes using the crimp cones, available at most hobby and leather stores. Basically its a cone shaped metal devise that slips on a leather thong and allows you to, much like using a bead, slip the shaft of the feather into it. Unlike a bead (which holds just as well, in my opinion) with this you can crimp it for solid contact.

Cryss

Dennis is correct. You must have Native tribal affiliation to even possess certain types of feathers, especially eagle feathers.

On the other hand, you can get "look-alikes" from craft suppliers, for decorative purposes, that are made from non-endangered species.

These laws were made to protect endangered species, and are good for the environment.

Thanks everyone, I live in Japan and am under no restriction of feather ownership.

Lawrence