Chapter 03 / The Field Survey
14

Plumes don't fade in a season — they hold their fire for three full decades.

Iridescence retained by ornament type · years before visible loss
6
Trade dye
feathers
11
Cassowary
quill
17
Lorikeet
breast
31
Bird-of-paradise
crown plume
14
Shell &
ochre band
Crown plume durability
31yr
2.8× longer than trade dye
Median retention across 47 catalogued Melpa and Chimbu sing-sing headdresses.
This is the PNG Highlands Bilas design system, applied by Curio Design — a design-style library for AI agents. Full PNG Highlands Bilas guide → designbycurio.com/learn/png-highlands-bilas-feather-paint