Wiktionary
n. A ceremonial headdress, decorated with a trail extension of eagle feathers, worn by some American Indians
Wikipedia
thumb| Muscogee war bonnet thumb|A modern-day Cheyenne dog soldier wearing a feathered headdress during a pow wow at the Indian Summer festival in Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 2008. Feathered war bonnets (also called warbonnets or headdresses) are worn by males of the American Plains Indians who have earned a place of great respect in their tribe. Originally they were sometimes worn into battle, but they are now primarily used for ceremonial occasions. They are seen as items of great spiritual and political importance.
Usage examples of "war bonnet".
Old Ricker the fiddler, who lived in the trailer next to Indian Tony's, came up to tell the security team that he had seen Indian Tony go out that afternoon wearing his ceremonial regalia (a plains war bonnet replica he'd found at a swap meet), which usually meant that Indian Tony was going on a vision quest.
He wore the usual mustard-colored Dakotian uniform, topped off with the feathered war bonnet of the Sioux Indian.
In a hand-to-hand combat of this sort, we count the victor as entitled to a war bonnet of trailing plumes.
Then an imposing figure in a full war bonnet and Hudson Bay blanket came out of the tiger-striped tipi to stare at them as if he was rehearsing for a career in front of cigar stores.
Still carrying the war bonnet, he looked around for a place to lay it, but saw only construction rubble.
He wore his war bonnet of eagle feathers, and his beaded and tasselled buckskins.
He wore Roman sandals with the lacings coming to his knees, a short skirt of feathers and a war bonnet all of which were painted in bright reds, blues and yellows.
Leather sunshades had been left behind and the war bonnet of the northern plains was unknown here.
Jack made a brave picture in his buckskin hunting suit and his war bonnet.