Teardrop Shaped Porcupine Roach with Red & Green Hair
This Roach Teardrop 6 inch is ready to wear! The crafter started with a yarn base. He tied Green deer hair for the inner row and Red deer hair for the outer row. He strung two rows of dark colored porcupine hair in between the colors. The front hair stands 6 inches high. This roach comes with a wood form for storage. One of a Kind!
Porcupine hair roaches are one type of traditional headwear for Native American Dance Regalia. You can attach a roach to your head with a small hair braid (or scalplock) pulled though the center hole and fasten with a roach pin, and or use a roach spreader. This Roach Teardrop 6 inch measures approximately 6 inches long and 2 inches wide at the widest point. We got this roach from a collection. You will find it in good, usable condition. One of a Kind!
Try this Roach Orange 12 inch Vintage on for size, or add it to your collection! The crafter started with a yarn base. He tied Red deer hair for the inner row and Orange deer hair for the outer row. He strung two rows of porcupine hair in between the colors. The front hair stands about 5 inches high. One of a Kind!
Porcupine hair roaches are one type of traditional headwear for Native American Dance Regalia. You can attach a roach to your head with a small hair braid (or scalplock) pulled though the center hole and fasten with a roach pin, and or use a roach spreader. This Roach Orange 12 inch Vintage measures approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide at the widest point. We got this roach from a collection. You will find it in good condition. One of a Kind!
Master Craftsman Andy Bullock creates Turkey Beard Eastern Style Roaches for us. He starts with a hand braided round yarn base. Instead of Porcupine Hair, he uses Turkey Beard hair to make the inner row of the roach and Dark Red Deer Hair for the outer row.
Round Eastern Style Roaches are one type of traditional headwear for Native American Dance Regalia and historical re-enactments. Attach a Round Eastern Style Roach to your head with a small hair braid (or scalplock) pulled though the center hole and fastened with a roach pin. Porcupine hair roaches can vary in size and shape, with some being relatively short and compact, while others are longer and fuller. Crafters can customize the design of the roach to reflect the individual wearer’s preferences or tribal traditions. They arrange the dyed hair in rows or sections, to create a vibrant and eye-catching display.
We offer Turkey Beard Roaches as they are available. Quantities are limited! They measures approximately 7″ tall on a 2.75″ base.
We offer Roach – 16 and 18 inch Porcupine with colored Deer Hair. Choose from 2 lengths – 16″ long or 18″ long – and 2 colors: Red or White. The front hair measures 6 inches – 7 inches long.
We also offer Roaches with the Deer Hair on the outside or Deer Hair on the inside and outside. Make your selections with the drop down boxes below.
Please allow 4 weeks for delivery.
We often have them in stock for immediate shipping, you can call 1-800-430-2855 or email sales@wanderingbull.com to see what is in stock and ready to ship.
Custom orders are Not Returnable. All custom orders are subject to additional shipping charges.
Round Eastern Style Roaches are one type of traditional headwear for Native American Dance Regalia and Historical Re-enactments.
These classic Roaches are constructed on a hand braided round yarn base measuring about 2.5″ . Our craftsmen make the inner row of the roach with long natural colored porcupine hair averages 6″ . They use Deer Hair for the outer row. Deer hair averages 2.5″ long.
Round Eastern Style Roaches are available in 4 colors:
Red
White
Purple and White combined
Dark Red
These Roaches attach to your head with a small hair braid (or scalplock) pulled though the center hole and fastened with a roach pin.
Roach Spreaders are required to spread the front hair of your roach. We offer handmade first quality metal Spreaders in a variety of styles. Our Roach Spreaders are hand crafted in the United States!
Plain Single Socket
Stamped Single Socket
Plain Double Socket
Stamped Double Socket
Plain Rocker
Stamped Rocker
Plain Grass Dancer
Stamped Grass Dancer
Stamped Chicken Dancer
Fancy Dancers and Grass Dancers use Rocker Roach Spreaders. The Grass Dancers can use the Grass Dancer Roach Spreader style. The Chicken Dancer Roach Spreader style is for Chicken Dancers.
Straight Dancers use a Single Socket Roach Spreader. Both Traditional and Modern Dancers wear the Double Socket Roach Spreader.
Add this Roach Spreader Handmade 2 Socket to your powwow regalia, or to your collection of accessories! The crafter made this spreader from metal. It has a double pointed end. The crafter cut out four teardrop shapes on the long side. Each socket comes with wood pegs to hold your feathers.
Roach Spreaders are required to spread the front hair of your roach. Native American rafters make them from metal, antlers from moose or elk, and sometimes plastic. They may add carved, etched, stamped or painted decorations to them. There are different types of roach spreaders for different types of Native American dances.
This Roach Spreader Handmade 2 Socket measures about 9.25 inches long x 2.5 inches at the widest point. We got this spreader from a collection. You will see signs of wear. There is some green tarnish on the bottom It is in good, usable condition. One of a Kind!
We offer Roach Bases for you to use to make your own 18″ Roaches. We make ours with acrylic yarn which is lightweight. You will find these Roach Bases softer than rope bases. You will also have an easier time tying the Porcupine hair and Deer Hair to it.
The Porcupine Roach is one of the most beautiful and practical headpieces of the North American Indian. Many different men’s dance styles use porcupine roaches. The following directions will show you how to make a long porcupine roach. You can also use the same technique to make a shorter or a round porcupine roach.
Native American men in North America wear one traditional style of headdress called a ‘Roach’. Natives have made Roaches from Whitetail Deer hair, Moose hair, Turkey Beards, Porcupine Hair, Horsehair or a combination of these. Native Americans have worn some form of Roach headdresses starting before the contact period. Early colonial writings mention these headdresses several times. These early writers sometimes referred to roaches as ‘crowns’ or ‘coronets’.
When wearing a roach, men can also wear a Roach Spreader inside to spread the hair. This way they can achieve a balanced shape for the roach. In order to facilitate wearing a roach, Native American men braid one section of their hair. Continue reading Roach Spreaders – History
Native American crafters use the hair of North American porcupines to make Porcupine Roaches. Porcupine Roaches are one type of traditional headwear for Native American Regalia. Our Porky Hair consists of the soft guard hair from western porcupines.
A 1 ounce bundle of Hair will usually be enough to complete a 15″ long Porky Roach. The bundles contain hairs that range in length from 4″- 8″. You will need to sort the bundles by size before you begin.
Turkey Beards hang from the chest of male turkeys, just below their necks. They seem hair-like, but they are actually modified feathers that have a consistency similar to horse tails. Crafters use them to make head roaches from them instead of using Porcupine Hair. You can also use them as decorative features on shirts, bags and headdresses. Or use them to decorate Dreamcatchers or Fans.
If you want to make a round roach, plan to purchase at least two beards. For a 6 inch teardrop shaped roach, you will need 5 – 7 of them.
All male turkeys have beards, and some female turkeys do as well. The length of the beards can indicate how old a male might be and they may play a role in mate selection.
Our Deer Tails come from the Northern Whitetail Deer. Crafters use Deer hair to make the shorter outside row in a Porcupine Roach. You can also clip the tail hair from Deer and hang it from Metal Cones to make very Eastern Woodlands style decorative fringe or tassels. Use these to decorate Bandoleer Bags and other accessories.
Our Tails come washed, dried and ready to use. They measure 6″ – 9″ long. You may dye Tails any color with commercial fabric dyes.
Hand Painted Golden Eagle Fluffs are beautiful imitations of the real thing! Use them for Women’s Hair Ornaments, Roach Pins, Headdresses and Bustles. Our painter lightly paints soft feathers to resemble Golden Eagle Fluffs. We sell these Fluffs by the dozen. Each feather measures approximately 6″ long.
Traditionally Native Americans have used feathers from a variety of birds. They use them to decorate their clothing, jewelry, accessories and as tools, like Smudge Feathers. While it is fine to own and use Turkey Feathers, it is unlawful to possess real Eagle, Hawk and Owl feathers. You can still get the look of a beautiful Eagle feathers for your projects with our hand-painted look-alikes.
You will find our Natural Female Ringneck Pheasant Tail Feathers a little more delicate than the Maile Ringneck Tail Feathers. They appear lighter in color and come with more bars.
Use them for Fans, Roaches or other hair ornaments.
Don’t miss The Wandering Bull’s newest Tee Shirt design! You can purchase our Native design Tee shirt in Slate and Khaki!
This Exclusive silhouette design features a young Native wearing a Roach and Feathers. A Bead and Bear Claw Necklace and facial tattoos add subtle detail.
This profusely illustrated book includes historical descriptions of Native dances, regalia and dancers and instructions for making many Native American Regalia items from clothing to roaches to bustles to drums.
Instructional drawings, black & white and color photographs.
Pow-Wow Dancers and Craftworkers Handbook is a treasure to look at and a nice reference for those making Native American Regalia items.
Carry Powwow essentials with this eye catching Wool Bag Beaded Warrior! The crafter used Red Wool for the bag. He created an image of a warrior wearing a feather roach and an armband with Black, White and Gray Seed Beads. Then he edged the bag with black bias tape and lined the inside with patterned red fabric. At the bottom he added 7 inch long tassels made with 1.25″ Brass Cones and strips of Red Wool.
The crafter made the strap with red fabric edged with black ribbon and lined with the same patterned red fabric that lines the inside of the bag. He decorated the strap with seven 0.75″ Canadian penny conchos. The Bag measures 11″ x 8.75″ not including the 7″ long tassels. The beaded image measures 7″ x 6″. The strap measures 22″ long x 2″ wide. We got this bag from a collection. It is in like new condition. One of a Kind!
Loom Warp Thread is a heavy duty cotton thread. We sell it in White and Black.
You will find this heavy duty cotton thread perfect for stringing up your Beadloom. Additionally, you can use it to tie Porcupine Roaches. You will find it the best choice for projects where you require a natural cotton thread.
Each spool comes with 50 yards of thread.
$2.00 each or Buy 6 or more of one color for $1.75 each.
Don’t miss The Wandering Bull’s newest Tee Shirt design! You can purchase our Native design Tee shirt in Slate and Khaki!
This Exclusive silhouette design features a young Native wearing a Roach and Feathers. A Bead and Bear Claw Necklace and facial tattoos add subtle detail.
These natural Bison Horns will make very large Powder Horns. Cut the horn and use it to make a Horn Roach Spreader. You can also use them to make Split Horn Bonnets, Horn Rattles and more.
These horns are natural black. They come minimally cleaned. Choose:
Cleaned and Scraped Approx 8″ – 10″ long with a 4″ diameter opening
Cleaned and left rough Approx 11″ long with a 4″ diameter opening
We sell these Horns individually. These are a natural product, so allow for variations.
When wearing a roach, men can also wear a Roach Spreader inside to spread the hair. This way they can achieve a balanced shape for the roach. In order to facilitate wearing a roach, Native American men braid one section of their hair. 
