ABSTRACT
Consider the Native Americans. They are a perfect example of what happens when the traditions of an ancient culture catch the magpie eye of a certain section of modern society. Consciousness is to a great extent a social construct; the grid of selective perceptions through which people filter their awareness of the world is largely a consequence of their upbringing in a particular social milieu. Language plays a vital role. Some people seem to be profiting rather well out of this grown-up craze for playing at Indians. Unsurprisingly, native American society seems to have been the usual human mixture of virtues and vices. In its own culture, every feather could represent an enemy, whom the wearer had counted coup on, at great personal risk. Imagine how a real native American would feel, seeing one of his people's enemies, wearing such a sacred garment, without having earned it.
