To the Indian people, the eagle feather is more than a rare and prized ornament. It is a relic of the great bird who rules the skies and whose spirit carries messages from them to the Giver Of Life. This dancer is offering the eagle his people's deepest respect; an emotion so heartfelt one might call it devotion.

To make this honor as sincere as possible, his costume is a marvelous recreation of the bird itself, with all its handsome feathers reproduced. The costume is made of hundreds of selected eagle feathers, all carefully fitted in sequence so the whole assemblage moves naturally, each feather shifting with the next, to allow the dancer the most perfect, graceful movement in his dance. Across his back and along both arms stretches the wingspan of the majestic bird, and on the dancer's head is an elaborate headdress set with the eyes and the beak that give the eagle so much nobility.

The performance is visually thrilling as the dancer moves with the grace of the eagle, gliding on the imaginary air currents, casually ruffling his feathers as he soars and turns and, as in this painting, gently dips with superb control to almost brush the ground with a wingtip. Then, with great flatting movement, he rises, pulling himself to higher realms. The dancer merging with the sprit of the bird he invokes, he descends and rides the currents effortlessly, in command of the skies, free and unchallenged to mingle with the Gods.