A lot of people seem to be putting feathers in their hair these days, from aging rock stars to the most popular fashion divas. The practice is hardly new, though. Various cultures have, for centuries, used the feathers of exotic birds both for decorations and as symbols of importance and rank.

A major difference between the use of feathers today and in the past, however, is the fact that putting feathers in one’s hair does not necessarily mean that a bird had to die. Ostrich and peacock farms are much more likely to use humane methods of harvesting the feathers in such high demand.than they were a mere ten years ago. With some, only feathers that are naturally lost by the birds are used.

Feathers are yet another example of how we connect to the natural world. In many cultures, feathers even have stories, and that would certainly seem to be the case with those seen here. Exactly what the story is, however, I leave to your own imagination.