A History of the Hair Roach and Vintage Photos
A Brief History Through Research…
The Porcupine Hair Roach has been around for several centuries. As many ornamental wear had its place, the Porky Hair Roach was reserved for men who were warriors amongst almost all tribes. Before Porcupines were traded amongst all the people groups of the plains, plateau, prairie, lakes region, and woodlands, other hair was used. Turkey beard hair, horse hair, and even bear hair was used in the construction. Roaches were mounted on hair bases, mainly deer hair, which is a process of tying rows of deer hair together to form a base. Trimming this hair was done early on to achieve a neat effect. We see colors in the Porky Hair Roach fairly early as well. Every color that was being used to dye blankets, quills for quillwork, fabric, feathers, and other items was also used to dye deer hair for the construction of these roaches.
Early on in the evolution of this headdress, shape mattered. Shape differed from roaches in the Southern plains to the Northern Plains to the Woodlands, and the shapes became more defined over time. This concept of shape is becoming lost today in popular pow wow culture, though some roach makers, like RL Roaches, have maintained the history of distinct shapes for different dance styles.
Roaches increased in rapid popularity during the early 20th century as Buffalo Bill took the pow wow public in the Wild West Show. These headdresses were the pinnacle of any dancers’ outfit, as they remain today. By the 1930s, as pow wows were at their peak in history, the roach can be found worn on the head of every competitor. The item became a part of a dance outfit rather than an object of ceremony by this point in history.
Over the last 100 years roaches have gone through stages of development, such as length of Porky Hair in the crown, advancement in dyeing of colors, and increase in a variety of materials for use. In the early days of non-hair base roach options, rolled cotton and braided wool yarn was sewn together to make a base. Wool became dominant until the use of acrylic yarn and sewing machines. Machine-made bases are in the majority of roaches found today. Please note, RL Roaches only makes hair base and 100% braided wool yarn bases by hand, preserving a tradition of quality-made roach making.
Please enjoy the photos and most importantly, let us know if you are interested in a replica of any of the photos seen here as we can work up a custom order just for you.
