Can American Indians legally use eagle feathers on traditional clothing?
A summary of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which provides full protection for these 2 species, is provided at http://permits.fws.gov/mbpermits/ActSummaries.html. However, the US Secretary of Interior issues permits to American Indians to use eagle, hawk, and owl feathers and parts in traditional religious and cultural ceremonies. In an effort to utilize eagle carcasses found or confiscated, the National Eagle Repository has been established by the Department of the Interior to store and distribute eagle feathers to American Indians. Is it true that Native Americans can hunt birds and collect eggs as subsistence hunters? Subsistence hunting of some birds and collecting of some birds eggs by Native Americans for food, primarily in the northern regions of Alaska, is permitted. Birds and eggs utilized primarily include geese, ducks, swans, and Sandhill Cranes and, to a lesser extent, loons, gulls, and some shorebirds. For more information, see pages 7 and 8 of the PDF file: htt