As the world opens up and people go back to festivals like Burning Man, the question of ethics arises around the use of feathers as ornaments. On an environmental level - as this post explains - this is wrong and harmful as it is pushing wild species in the Amazon to extinction. But there is also an ethical and moral argument to be made about the cultural insensitivity of people of non-Indigenous origin, dressing up as the people who were murdered and dispossessed from their lands. This fetishization of Indigenous fashion and culture as a trend by non-Indigenous people rubs salt on the wounds of this painful history and makes makes mockery of very real threats Indigenous people still face today. I too have had my share of dressing up with feathers in the past, and while they were not from Amazonian birds I cringe now to think about the level of unconscious disrespect implicit in those past decisions. Even though I am of Indigenous descent, I can only acknowledge very recent Indigenous allyship on my part. I can imagine there is a level of grace for those who truly don’t know better - but if you are reading this - then now you know. So if you are packing for Burning Man or another festival, please leave the feather headdress at home. Your festival fashion is not worth the moral, spiritual and environmental harm it causes. Thank you @ninagualinga and @eli.virkina for this valuable post and please share to all who might find this out relevant. 🪶🙏🏽🪶