The brilliant feathers of South American birds, especially from parrots such as the Scarlet Macaw, were desired by most ancient Peruvian cultures. Their use for costumes and decorations, sometimes far from the birds’ habitats, points to the trade and exchange of feathers between the lowlands and forests and the highlands and coasts of Peru. According to detailed studies of the types of birds used, the objects were ‘typically made from the feathers of birds found in the tropical zones at lower altitudes [of the Andes] in eastern Peru’¹ and the Amazon Basin. Of the 1800 native species, most were chosen for their colourful plumage or avian characteristics: the eagle was associated with power and strength, for instance. Birds frequented the sky, and therefore represented the upper world, the heavens. Yellow plumage may have been so coveted because it stood for the sun, light, gold and the gods.

Spanish witnesses after the invasion wrote of boys hunting birds with slingshots, then eating their flesh and keeping the feathers. Inca rulers received ‘large quantities of plucked feathers, as well as birds both dead and alive’² as tribute. Parrots, macaws and ducks were probably domesticated, as their bones and mummified bodies have been found in archaeological excavations. As well as clothing, such as cloaks and tunics, feathers were made into headdresses, fans, bands and tassels. Their manufacture was painstaking and difficult, as the feathers were attached in layers onto vegetable fibre, after being sewn and knotted onto woven cotton or braided strings. The splendid garments and accessories that resulted were rare and highly valued.

The green plume, possibly a fan or crown ornament, is made from the glorious three-toned tail feathers of the Amazon parrot. Each feather begins in a light green hue, continues into a rich green, and is tipped with dazzling light green. These colours occur naturally, while that of the yellow and pink-orange plume:

was obtained by ‘tapirage’: plucking the [live] bird’s feathers and rubbing the skin with toad skin secretion and a plant dye. The new feathers that grow back are yellow with a soft pink center.³

Most prized of all was the Scarlet Macaw, whose feathers are brilliant blue, yellow and red. The striped plume was made of cut feathers, arranged in layers and bound into a handle covered by cloth. It has degraded much more than the others, presumably because it was exposed to air and moisture for many years.

Christine Dixon

1. Christine Giuntini, ‘Techniques and conservation of Peruvian feather mosaics’, in Heidi King (ed.), Peruvian featherworks: Art of the Precolumbian era, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2012, p. 90.

2. Heidi King, ‘Feather arts in ancient Peru’, in King (ed.), p. 12.

3. Craig Morris and Adriana von Hagen, The Inka Empire and its Andean origins, New York: Abbeville Press 1993, p. 193.

The brilliant feathers of South American birds, especially from parrots such as the Scarlet Macaw, were desired by most ancient Peruvian cultures. Their use for costumes and decorations, sometimes far from the birds’ habitats, points to the trade and exchange of feathers between the lowlands and forests and the highlands and coasts of Peru. According to detailed studies of the types of birds used, the objects were ‘typically made from the feathers of birds found in the tropical zones at lower altitudes [of the Andes] in eastern Peru’¹ and the Amazon Basin. Of the 1800 native species, most were chosen for their colourful plumage or avian characteristics: the eagle was associated with power and strength, for instance. Birds frequented the sky, and therefore represented the upper world, the heavens. Yellow plumage may have been so coveted because it stood for the sun, light, gold and the gods.

Spanish witnesses after the invasion wrote of boys hunting birds with slingshots, then eating their flesh and keeping the feathers. Inca rulers received ‘large quantities of plucked feathers, as well as birds both dead and alive’² as tribute. Parrots, macaws and ducks were probably domesticated, as their bones and mummified bodies have been found in archaeological excavations. As well as clothing, such as cloaks and tunics, feathers were made into headdresses, fans, bands and tassels. Their manufacture was painstaking and difficult, as the feathers were attached in layers onto vegetable fibre, after being sewn and knotted onto woven cotton or braided strings. The splendid garments and accessories that resulted were rare and highly valued.

The green plume, possibly a fan or crown ornament, is made from the glorious three-toned tail feathers of the Amazon parrot. Each feather begins in a light green hue, continues into a rich green, and is tipped with dazzling light green. These colours occur naturally, while that of the yellow and pink-orange plume:

was obtained by ‘tapirage’: plucking the [live] bird’s feathers and rubbing the skin with toad skin secretion and a plant dye. The new feathers that grow back are yellow with a soft pink center.³

Most prized of all was the Scarlet Macaw, whose feathers are brilliant blue, yellow and red. The striped plume was made of cut feathers, arranged in layers and bound into a handle covered by cloth. It has degraded much more than the others, presumably because it was exposed to air and moisture for many years.

Christine Dixon

1. Christine Giuntini, ‘Techniques and conservation of Peruvian feather mosaics’, in Heidi King (ed.), Peruvian featherworks: Art of the Precolumbian era, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2012, p. 90.

2. Heidi King, ‘Feather arts in ancient Peru’, in King (ed.), p. 12.

3. Craig Morris and Adriana von Hagen, The Inka Empire and its Andean origins, New York: Abbeville Press 1993, p. 193.