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Laws and Eagle Feathers
I learned a lot recently about eagle feathers, and I thought, "Hey, maybe someone else will wonder like I did, why not write it down, just in case?" So here it is.
I had emailed the DNR here in Minnesota asking about the laws concerning eagle feathers, and specifically whether I could purchase some from a Chinese seller on ebay to give as gifts here. These are email responses from officials working in Minnesota, but the laws extend to all of the United States.
"Hello and thank you for your great questions.
You are correct that it is illegal for anyone to possess any part of a migratory bird (under the migratory bird treaty act, MBTA) including nests, eggs, feathers, bones, fluid, etc. Eagles and their feathers and parts have additional protection under the bald and golden eagle act of 1940. Both of these acts can be looked up to find the language therein. If someone who IS native American finds an eagle or eagle feather, they still have to turn it over to the repository in order to have it or other feathers distributed to them by the repository. They need to fill out an application (available online) and be granted the parts of the eagle they are requesting. Eagle feathers or dead eagles should be brought to the DNR or FWS offices so we can send them to the repository. Even DNR is not allowed to keep these eagles or feathers, without a proper permit and we have maxed out our permit. Non-eagle migratory birds or their parts are sometimes possessed for educational purposes, permits which are given to teachers or other educational facilities.
Domestic or farm animals do not fall under wildlife laws and do not have the same protection. [ Which is why imitation feathers should be used whenever possible, way less of a headache, way easier to come by and keep ] As far as receiving feathers from other countries, you would need to find out about cities (pronounced SIGHT-eees) permits and laws from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I have cc’d their permit office to answer those questions for you. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have further questions."
And here is the response from the office mentioned in the last paragraph, concerning importing feathers.
"The US Fish and Wildlife Service does not allow for the sale of eagle feathers, therefore a website such as this would not be permissible in the US. In addition, the purchase of eagle feathers is prohibited regardless of the origin of the feathers.
Thank you."
Whether or not anyone chooses to abide by these laws is their own personal choice, but I felt it worthwhile to make people aware of what they might be in for if they choose to ignore them. I do understand why a person might not feel the need to abide by these laws, or why someone could feel that they would face a greater spiritual consequence going about it the other way, but for those who want the information, it is here. I was not sure if I should post contact info for these officials so I did not, but they were very easy to find and get ahold of, and extremely pleasant to talk to. As someone unregistered with a tribe... I think I will personally be sticking with the painted turkey feathers.
I had emailed the DNR here in Minnesota asking about the laws concerning eagle feathers, and specifically whether I could purchase some from a Chinese seller on ebay to give as gifts here. These are email responses from officials working in Minnesota, but the laws extend to all of the United States.
"Hello and thank you for your great questions.
You are correct that it is illegal for anyone to possess any part of a migratory bird (under the migratory bird treaty act, MBTA) including nests, eggs, feathers, bones, fluid, etc. Eagles and their feathers and parts have additional protection under the bald and golden eagle act of 1940. Both of these acts can be looked up to find the language therein. If someone who IS native American finds an eagle or eagle feather, they still have to turn it over to the repository in order to have it or other feathers distributed to them by the repository. They need to fill out an application (available online) and be granted the parts of the eagle they are requesting. Eagle feathers or dead eagles should be brought to the DNR or FWS offices so we can send them to the repository. Even DNR is not allowed to keep these eagles or feathers, without a proper permit and we have maxed out our permit. Non-eagle migratory birds or their parts are sometimes possessed for educational purposes, permits which are given to teachers or other educational facilities.
Domestic or farm animals do not fall under wildlife laws and do not have the same protection. [ Which is why imitation feathers should be used whenever possible, way less of a headache, way easier to come by and keep ] As far as receiving feathers from other countries, you would need to find out about cities (pronounced SIGHT-eees) permits and laws from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I have cc’d their permit office to answer those questions for you. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have further questions."
And here is the response from the office mentioned in the last paragraph, concerning importing feathers.
"The US Fish and Wildlife Service does not allow for the sale of eagle feathers, therefore a website such as this would not be permissible in the US. In addition, the purchase of eagle feathers is prohibited regardless of the origin of the feathers.
Thank you."
Whether or not anyone chooses to abide by these laws is their own personal choice, but I felt it worthwhile to make people aware of what they might be in for if they choose to ignore them. I do understand why a person might not feel the need to abide by these laws, or why someone could feel that they would face a greater spiritual consequence going about it the other way, but for those who want the information, it is here. I was not sure if I should post contact info for these officials so I did not, but they were very easy to find and get ahold of, and extremely pleasant to talk to. As someone unregistered with a tribe... I think I will personally be sticking with the painted turkey feathers.
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