curious gifts

These feathers were gifted to me by one of the attendees at a talk I gave to the AAUW. When I give a talk and sign books immediately afterwords, the names and faces all become one big adrenaline fueled blur. I wish I could remember who gifted me these delicately beautiful feathers. She told me they were golden pheasant feathers, so I just assumed she knew a hunter (probably her spouse) and that golden pheasants were a popular game bird in some place like Kansas or Oklahoma, and that is how she came into possession of them. Later I looked up golden pheasant, and realize it is native to China and the male plumage is audacious. Now I am curious. How did she come to possess them? Why was she willing to share them with me? Did She travel to China? Or are there golden pheasants here in the US? Are these the female feathers or the male’s? There is a story about these feathers, I just know there is. If only they could speak.

golden pheasant feathers