How to Make a Potawatomi Headdress
The Potawatomi Indians are a Native North American nation first belonging to the area that is now Michigan, in the eastern woodlands and prairie regions. While the most famous Native North American headdresses are the large, cascading feathered warbonnets worn by the Sioux, Crow and Cheyenne tribes, the Potawatomi wore much simpler headbands with one or two feathers, or otter fur turbans.
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Leather
- Scissors
- Needle and waxed thread
- Beads (optional)
- Geometric patterned cloth (optional)
- Large feathers
- Stiff material
- Sewing machine
- Fur or faux fur
Instructions
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Simple Headband
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1
Measure the circumference of your head. Decide weather you want to tie the headband around your head, or to make a headband that sits around the head like a coronet. Both are acceptable ways to make a Potawatomi headband.
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2
Cut a piece of leather to around an inch longer than the circumference of your head if you want a coronet-type headband, or around 10 inches longer if you want to tie it.
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3
Cut the leather into a strip of around 1 1/2 inches wide. Taper the last 5 inches of the leather to a point if you are making a tie-up headband.
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4
Fold the leather strip into a circle if making a coronet-style headband, overlapping the last 1/2 inch of the ends. Sew the ends together with needle and waxed thread. If you are making a tie-up headband, it can be left as-is.
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5
Decorate the headband with beads or pieces of geometrically patterned cloth, or leave it plain leather. Place the headband on your head, or tie it around your head, then stick one or two large feathers, with their tips pointing up, into the back of the headband.
Fur Turban-Style Cap
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6
Cut a 5-inch-wide strip of stiff material, like calico, to an inch longer than the circumference of your head. Cut a second 5-inch-wide strip into a tapered triangle around 15 inches long for the tail of the turban.
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7
Fold a double 1/4 inch seam on the edges of both pieces of material and sew down on a sewing machine. Fold the circumference piece into a circle and sew the ends together to form a loop. Leave the tail piece off for now.
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8
Cut a length of fur or faux fur around 4 inches shorter than the circumference of your head, and a strip around 4 inches wide. Place the fur on top of the material loop and hand-stitch it down, making the gap created by the fur shorter at the back where the seam of the circumference piece is.
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9
Cut a piece of fur that is around an inch smaller on all sides than the tail piece of material and sew it on top of the tailpiece. Place the fat end of the tailpiece over the back of the headpiece, covering up the gap. Sew it down.
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10
Decorate the turban-style fur cap with beads or pieces of geometrically patterned cloth, or leave it plain. If desired, you can place an upright feather in the cap when wearing it.
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