Ostrich feathers were quite a thing going back to the Art Deco and post deco movement...it was something used in flower arrangements...wedding bouquets...in hats and bonnets...and hand tied like this at the end of church pews for weddings...in ancient times it was said that the "goddess would weigh the person’s heart against the ostrich feather. If the heart weighed more than the feather, then the person’s soul would be destroyed. If the heart weighed the same or less than the feather, then the person’s soul would get to move onto the next world. Because of this ancient story, the Egyptians thought of the ostrich itself as a symbol for truth and purity. But whatever you believe...only use feathers that naturally fall from a ostrich...otherwise back luck will haunt you for the rest of your life...yes I said that :) no hand picking feathers torturously from animals...nothing good comes from that...but to find these feathers naturally...and using them beautifully in arrangements...flowering from Kentucky Derby like hats...is...well...simply exquisite!