Hair Roach Headdress

[WisconsinBlackBear]

Were round roaches ever worn on the Southern Plains? They were out East. It seems to me that if you're going to wear a roach inside of a fur turban, the round roach would make the most sense. The Chippewa do that. I was just wondering if they did the same on the Southern Plains.

[White Powwow Dancer]

Nice pitures and a very good history lesson too!

[WoundedBear]

i working on towards getting my first roach thrue noc bay.
i agree with u there are many nice porky's here and i just learned a lot

[CHEROSAGE]

These are some great Roaches. I have 3 of my own. 1 a 15" roach I was passed down as a youth when I was roached, 1 I was offered a great deal for by a very good friend, it is a 22" in and out white, and 1 Turkey beard I made with in and out red. I also have a Turbin, but don't wear it much any more.

[Historian]

Bump...

[Historian]

[Historian]

John Straight - Osage - 1912

[Historian]

Some other examples:

(Note: Typical method of storing a hair roach.)


























(Note: Appears to be a "clipped hair" base.)


(Note: Turkey Beard Roach in lower right corner.)




Turkey Beard Roaches:







Turkey Beard Roaches with clipped hair base:

[Historian]

What is on the front of Smoked Yellow's roach? is that fluffs replacing the horsehair?

It appears to be some sort of chemical damage to the photograph in the developing process. Photography was still in a crude stage at this time. The same chemical damage can be seen on his forehead and his shoulder.

A similar chemical damage can be seen on the photo of (Kau-Lay-Ty - Kiowa - 1898).

[Josiah]

What is on the front of Smoked Yellow's roach? is that fluffs replacing the horsehair?

Looks more like damage to the photograph than Fluffs
Of course those could be some biiiig fluffs!

[legalstraight]

What is on the front of Smoked Yellow's roach? is that fluffs replacing the horsehair?

[Historian]

“This headgear is apparently called ‘roach’ in English because of it’s resemblance to the roaching or clipping of a horse’s mane which was considered stylish in the 19th century. The roach headdress of animal hair almost certainly originated in the custom, formerly observed by some Indian men, of cutting all the hair from the head except for a narrow strip running from the crown to the base of the neck.”
(Howard, 1958, p. 89)

White Horse - Pawnee - 1868


Animal hair such as turkey beard hair, porcupine guard hair, and deer-tail hair were added to the hair to add to the effect. Some authorities attribute the hair roach headdress to the Pawnee as a result of the legend of their culture hero Crow Feather. Other authorities attribute the hair roach to tribal traditions involving the resemblence of the red crest of the Pileated Woodpecker.



Today the hair roach has evolved to become a seperate headdress, and is either made from turkey beard hair, in which case the length of the base is usually a smaller size, perhaps 8 to 12 inches, or porcupine guard hair which can have a base from 12 to 20 inches or more. In both cases, deer-tail hair is added inside and out. There was a time that the deer-tail hair was dyed red to indicated that the wearer had been “tested by fire” or in other words the dancer was a warrior or veteran who had been in combat, and if the deer-tail hair was left natural or white the dancer had not been in combat.

However, these meanings are no longer strictly followed or remembered and the deer-tail hair is frequently dyed any color according to the dancer’s preference.

In general, the central and southern plains style of hair roach headdress will have the front hairs standing erect with only a gradual outward flare and are usually smaller in size, whereas in contrast, the northern plains style hair roach headdress will frequently have the front hairs flaring outward at an almost horizontal angle and tend to be larger in size.

Some examples from the past:

Buffalo Bull - Pawnee - 1832


Brave Chief - Pawnee - 1832


Big Elk - Omaha - 1832


The Watchful Fox - Sauk - 1832


The Blistered Feet - Iowa - 1844


The Walking Bear - Sauk - 1844


The White Cloud - Iowa - 1845


Un-identified man and Wah-ti-an-kah – Osage - 1865


Sun Chief, A Fine Horse, Lone Chief, Struck By A Tomahawk, One Aimed At - Pawnee - 1868


Wah-Com-Mo - Sauk & Fox - 1868


Yellow Horse – Arapaho – 1872


Big Mouth Hawk – Arapaho – 1872


Osage man - 1875


White Swan - Omaha - 1883


Running Fox - Omaha - circa 1884


Big Black Bear - Otoe - 1884


Cannot Do It - Sauk & Fox - 1890


Comanche man – 1891


Inali - Kiowa - 1892


Henry Red Eagle and son - Osage - 1893


Osage men - no date


Osage men - no date


Osage man - no date


Bushy Tail - Otoe - 1894


Iron Man Coming - Otoe - 1895


Frank Corndropper and Paul Buffalo - Osage - 1895


Frank Corndropper, Paul Buffalo, and Pierce St. John - Osage - 1895


Willie Gray Eyes - Sauk & Fox - 1896


William Faw Faw - Otoe - no date


Medicine Horse – Iowa – no date


Ponca men - no date


William Gray Eyes - Sauk & Fox - 1898


Kiowa man - 1898


Kau-Lay-Ty - Kiowa - 1898


Kiowa man - 1898


Jim Two Hatchet - Kiowa - 1898


Comanche man – 1898


Raises The Dust - Ponca - 1898


Dust Maker (aka Pete Mitchell) - Ponca - 1898


Dust Maker (aka Pete Mitchell) - Ponca - 1898


Moni-Chaki (aka Thomas Cry) - Ponca - 1898


Big Fox – Arapaho – 1898


Starving Elk - Southern Cheyenne - 1898


Omaha man - 1898


Group of Omaha - 1898


Gray Horn - Omaha - 1898


Charley Mitchell - Omaha - 1898


Henry Springer - Omaha - 1898


Smoked Yellow - Omaha - 1898


Mo-She-Wa-Ku-De - Omaha - 1898


Howard Frost - Omaha - 1898


Pawnee men - no date


Jessee Kirk, Joseph Springer – Iowa – 1901


George Michelle - Osage - 1905


Brother of John Pipestem with wife - Otoe - 1906


Favored Chief - Omaha - 1909


George Michelle - Osage - 1910


John Wood - Osage - 1910


Osage men - 1912



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