Cape

This cape is an example of the frequent and enduring exchange with other cultures, both Native and non-Native, that in part shapes Native art. At the start of the 1800s, Native peoples experienced countless changes to their way of life. This feathered cape combines European-style clothing with Native needs and aesthetics. It resembles a pelerine, a type of shoulder cape worn by women in Europe and the United States, yet feathered capes were used as regalia in Native American communities before European settlement.