This story is being published under agreement with The Associated Press. May not be republished without express permission from The Associated Press.

BILLINGS (AP) – America’s golden eagles face a growing threat from the black market for their feathers used in Native American gatherings and other ceremonies, according to wildlife officials, researchers and tribal members.

The government’s response has been twofold: a crackdown on gangs smuggling dead eagles and a long-running program to legally distribute eagle feathers and parts to tribal members.

But the program has a years-long backlog, and officials said illegal killings, particularly targeting young golden eagles, have worsened because of the high value placed on their white and black wing feathers. Golden eagles, which are federally protected but not considered endangered, were already facing pressure from poisonings, climate change and wind turbines that kill eagles in collisions.

An investigation focusing on a Montana Native American reservation recently led to its first conviction: A Washington state man was charged, among others, with killing thousands of birds, including at least 118 bald and golden eagles, and selling their parts in the U.S. and abroad.

He is scheduled to be sentenced to up to five years in prison on Thursday in a case that offers a rare glimpse into the black market.

Another investigation involving undercover agents seized 150 golden and bald eagles over the past decade, according to court records and federal officials; 35 defendants were indicted and 31 defendants were convicted for wildlife violations.

Perry Lilley, a member of the Nakota Tribe in northern Montana, attends several meetings a year and says he has been approached to buy eagle feathers. He said the illegal attacks were “absolutely wrong” but sympathized with tribal members who didn’t want to wait years for eagle parts.

Eagle feathers are woven into Native American culture. Beyond powwow attire, they are given as gifts to high school graduates, used in wedding ceremonies, and buried with the dead.

BENEFITING FROM LOCAL TRADITIONS

A government warehouse in Colorado that provides dead eagles and parts for free to tribal members is filling individual feather orders, such as from graduates. But even though the meetings have become more elaborate and competitive, they cannot keep up with the demand for eagle wings, tails and whole birds.

This left an opening for criminals to exploit Native Americans who were trying to keep traditions alive.

“The amount of money you can make at powwows has increased a lot in the last 10 years, and that’s driven some of the demand,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Chief Ed Grace. “If the price of feathers increases, people … become opportunistic and see that you can make a lot of money in a relatively short period of time by poaching eagles to trade feathers.”

Eagle feathers were on full display at a recent meeting in Billings, where dozens of Native Americans adorned with feathers marched onto the grounds of a university to kick off dance competitions. Their feet moved to the beat of a drum, their rhythmic sounds periodically interrupted by high-pitched chants.

Women carried eagle feather fans. Men wore eagle feather headdresses that bounced back and forth as they danced.

At the head of the procession was a man carrying a staff with an eagle head. Behind him among tribal elders is Kenneth Deputy Sr. of the nearby Crow Indian Reservation. There was.

He had a decorative piece around his waist decorated with eagle feathers and carried a short wooden stick carved into the head of a bald eagle, with a single feather hanging from it.

For the MP, feathers symbolize power and provide protection.

“Feathers are very important,” he said. “I’m 72 years old, but I’m ready to rock and roll when I wear it. … All this power is coming back to me, you know, so I’m ready to go out there and boogie woogie.”

Comanche Nation member Bill Voelker describes the gatherings differently: more spectacle than spirituality, with some feathers purchased online, where eagle parts can cost hundreds of dollars.

Not all powwows offer cash prizes.