| Protection and Practicality
Protection from the elements |
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Cowboy hat, Lakota, Oglala, 1993 Worn by Fred Heathershaw, a Native working as a cowboy and riding in rodeos. The eagle feather is for physical and spiritual protection. Primarily utilitarian, the wide-brimmed felt hat has sheltered hard-working cowboys from the sun, rain, wind and dust of the prairie for over a century. But the cowboy hat is also a potent symbol of western toughness and independence, immortalized in legend, song, film and television. CMC V-E-403 |
