Eagle feathers confiscated

Local Native American tribes upset

By VANESSA GEZARI
New York Times

McALLEN – Native Americans see golden eagle feathers as a gift from the spirits but some have been confiscated by federal agents.

An agent for U.S. Fish and Wildlife went undercover at a local pow-wow, working to expose the illegal use of eagle feathers.

Federal agents say it is against the law for people to have the feathers unless they are a member of certain tribes. The agent who confiscated the feathers said, “It is a serious thing. The government has me here to investigate. These are protected animals. They are protected under state and federal laws.”

Native Americans say the feathers are considered a gift from God. Roberto Soto is a Lipan-Apache Indian. The agent took feathers that have been in his family for generations.

“It would be like someone telling me I can't worship god; like someone taking the bible and saying it's illegal; like I can't pray, or carry a cross,” Soto said. “In many ways, we've been stripped of who we are as native people.”

Only members of federally recognized tribes are allowed to use the feathers. There is only a handful of recognized tribes in the state, and none in the Valley.

Soto said, “I might never see the day of our tribe being recognized. There's a lot of paperwork, a lot we have to prove.”

Until their tribes are recognized, the feathers are off-limits. Native Indians say that means they will be having their pow-wows in secret.