Black Indians

My family roots are varied; however, I do know that a part of us derive from a group of Black Indians belonging to the Choctaw people in Louisiana. This collage features a feather that was traditionally worn in the headdress, known as a “crown.” Feathers also have a deep significance in Central Africa possibly linking to pan-African traditions. Feathers on masks or headdresses in Kongo are medicines, and reflect confidence and strength built into the vaunting of the power to fly. They teach that it is possible to cure illness by rising out of ourselves, emerging from our physical situation into full spiritual awareness and potentiality. Then, by means of radiant sky-implying feathers, heaven can speak of cures we need.