Porcupine Hair Roach Round
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.
We also offer 16″ & 18″ Long Porcupine Roaches!
Roach – 16 and 18 inch Porcupine
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 Porcupine Roaches in stock for immediate shipping, you can call 800-430-2855 or email sales@wanderingbull.com to see what is in stock and ready to ship.
You can order a custom roach with other colors and lengths. Longer lengths or additional colors will cost $100.00 – $150.00 more. Please call 800-430-2855 or email sales@wanderingbull.com for more information.
Custom orders are Not Returnable. All custom orders are subject to additional shipping charges.
You may also like our Round Eastern Style Porcupine Roaches! Learn how a Porcupine Roach is made here.
Don’t miss our You Tube Tutorial on How to Make a Porcupine Roach
Turkey Beard Eastern Style Roach
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.
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Want to learn how to make your own Porcupine Roach? Read our Porcupine Roach Instructions! Or watch our YouTube Video How to Make a Porcupine Roach
Roach Spreaders
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
- Plain Double Socket
- Plain Rocker
- Plain Grass Dancer
- Plain 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.
Shop for Roaches!
Read about the History of Roach Spreaders!
Making a Porcupine Roach
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.
Materials Needed:
- Porcupine hair
- Roach Base
- Imitation Sinew
- Deer Tails
- Large Needle
- Scissors
- Frame for tying rows of hair
- Glass Jar/ Cup approx. 4″ tall x 3″ wide (to hold the Porcupine hair)
- Roach Stick (a 2.5″ dowel 6″ longer than the finished roach – with a nail in the top to hold the roach in place)
- Elastic style bandage for wrapping completed roach
Continue reading Porcupine Roach Instructions
Roach Spreader One Socket Bone
Add this handmade Roach Spreader One Socket to your powwow regalia, or to your collection of accessories! The crafter made this Roach Spreader from natural Bone and added some etched designs to the top. This Roach Spreader comes with a wooden tube to insert your Feather.
A roach spreader made of bone is a traditional Native American accessory used to hold and spread the hair in a roach headdress. These spreaders are not only functional but also carry cultural significance, often used in traditional attire and ceremonies. We got this Roach Spreader One Socket from a collection. You will find it in very good condition.
The spreader measures 7″ long x 3.5″ at the widest point. The wooden tube piece stands 1 1/2″ tall with a 1/2″ diameter opening. One of a Kind!
Check out more of our Headwear.
Read about the History of Roach Spreaders!
Check out more of our YouTube Videos.
Roach Base 18 inch
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.
Check out our Ready made Roaches and Roach Making Supplies!
Roach Spreaders – History
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
Porcupine Hair
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.
Available in 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce packages.
We offer ready made Porcupine Roaches. Choose a Round Eastern Style or a 16″ or 18″ Long Roach. Learn how to make a Roach here
Natural Turkey Beard Feathers
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.
This in sold individually ( each). 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.
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Shop for Deer Tails
Read our Article on How to Make a Porcupine Roach
Deer Tails
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.
We offer Tails in:
- Red
- Orange
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- Hot Pink
- White
Try our ready to use Copper Cone Deerhair Drops
Read more about using tails for Porcupine Roaches here!
Fluffs – Hand painted Golden Eagle
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 may also like our other Hand Painted Feathers
Read our article on Hand Painted Feathers
Natural Bison Horns
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.
We also sell Bison Toes!
Read about Native Americans and Buffalo
Native Tee Shirt – Khaki
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.
You will want one in both colors!
100% Cotton Tee Shirt. Sizes Small – XX Large.
Shop for More Wandering Bull Tee Shirts!
Native Tee Shirt – Slate
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.
You will want one in both colors!
100% Cotton Tee Shirt. Sizes Small – XX Large.
Shop for More Wandering Bull Tee Shirts!
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Female Ringneck Pheasant Tail Feathers
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.
Choose from 2 length ranges:
We sell these Feathers in in Packages of 10.
Shop for more Pheasant Feathers!
Loom Warp Thread
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.
Shop for more Sinew & Thread!
Pow-Wow Dancers and Craftworkers Handbook
By Adolf Hungry Wolf. Softcover. 144 pgs.
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.
ISBN 9781570671906
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