featherwork
Art using plumes
Featherwork is the craft of using feathers as decorative or functional material—woven, sewn, or otherwise assembled into objects.
The term covers everything from the elaborate feathered cloaks of Hawaiian royalty to Victorian-era ornamental fans.
The museum's collection includes Aztec featherwork of extraordinary intricacy.
Embroidery with porcupine spines
- millineryCraft of hat design
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- beadworkStrung ornament craft
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
mosaic · marquetry · inlay · enamelwork · tapestry · applique · embroidery · adornment
Hollow defensive animal spikes
- downToward lower ground
- barbsSharp points or jibes
- rachisCentral supporting shaft
- vaneWind direction indicator
coverts · plumes · crest · pinion · molting · preening · iridescence · coloration
Interlacing strands into fabric
- stitchingJoining with needle, thread
- handicraftManual skill or product
- bindingLegally or morally required
- dyeingColoring via immersion
sorting · cutting · shaping · mounting · gluing · wiring · layering · assembling
Ornamental head covering
- carnivalTraveling amusement attraction
- RioBrazilian coastal city, shortened
- sambaAfro-Brazilian celebratory dance
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
showgirl · burlesque · Mardi Gras · drag · pageantry · parade · dancewear · regalia
Originating in a region
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- tribalOf a clan
sacred · regalia · chieftain · shamanic · totemic · spiritual · offerings · crowns
Easily broken or damaged
- lightweightLacking mass or importance
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
- wispyThin and insubstantial
airy · delicate · soft · fine · intricate · detailed · meticulous · painstaking
quillwork
Embroidery with porcupine spines
- millineryCraft of hat design
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- beadworkStrung ornament craft
filigree · mosaic · marquetry · inlay · enamelwork · tapestry · applique · embroidery · adornment · ornamentation
quills
Hollow defensive animal spikes
vane · coverts · plumes · crest · pinion · molting · preening · iridescence · coloration · peacock
weaving
Interlacing strands into fabric
- stitchingJoining with needle, thread
- handicraftManual skill or product
- bindingLegally or morally required
dyeing · sorting · cutting · shaping · mounting · gluing · wiring · layering · assembling · preservation
headdress
Ornamental head covering
- carnivalTraveling amusement attraction
- RioBrazilian coastal city, shortened
- sambaAfro-Brazilian celebratory dance
masquerade · showgirl · burlesque · Mardi Gras · drag · pageantry · parade · dancewear · regalia · plumes
indigenous
Originating in a region
tribal · sacred · regalia · chieftain · shamanic · totemic · spiritual · offerings · crowns · mantles
fragile
Easily broken or damaged
- lightweightLacking mass or importance
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- gossamerFilmy, delicate material
wispy · airy · delicate · soft · fine · intricate · detailed · meticulous · painstaking · careful
- HawaiiHawaii, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Maui, Waikiki Beach
- Mexican HeritageAztec, Maya, Nahuatl, mariachi, tequila
- ancient craftspottery, mosaics, weaving, carpentry, blacksmithing
- traditional craftspottery, hand sewing, wood carving, weaving, blacksmithing
- Aztec WorldTenochtitlan, Aztecs, Aztec, Aztec Empire, Nahuatl
- Hawaiian culturealoha, hula, lei, luau, mahalo
featherworkmetalwork
Shaped metal objects
stonework · ironwork · steelwork · bronze casting · masonry
work, feather, feathers, feathery, feathered, feathering, unfeathered, defeathered, featherlike