Acting on requests brought by Utah’s Utes and other American Indian tribes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it is loosening some restrictions on Native Americans’ ability to collect feathers of bald and golden eagles, iconic birds that are protected under federal law.
Although pleased with the rule change, the Ute Indian Tribe remained concerned the federal government could extend religion-based feather-possessing privileges to those who are not enrolled in federally recognized tribes.
For millennia, indigenous Americans have worn and used feathers and other parts of the charismatic raptor that many consider a sacred animal, symbolizing honor and strength.