The National Eagle Repository, a federal center in Denver that doles out eagle feathers and eagle parts to thousands of Native Americans, only has five employees, The Washington Post reports.

The repository receives more than 3,000 requests but only fills about half of them, The Post said. The average wait is about three years but some people have to wait much longer.

Marjorie Waheneka from Oregon applied for an eagle in 1993. She finally received it last month -- 12 years later.

Get the Story:
Repository Doles Out Honesty, Majesty, Courage and Wisdom in Feathers (The Washington Post 12/9)
pwpwd

Relevant Links:
National Eagle Repository - http://www.r6.fws.gov/law/le65.html
Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Protection Act - http://laws.fws.gov/lawsdigest/baldegl.html

Related Stories:
Iowa Tribe receives $250K grant for eagle center (09/16)
Non-Indian eagle feather case returns to federal court (07/19)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe seeks probe into feather use (08/02)
DOI to pay Apache man $50K for seized feathers (04/12)
Eagle feather ruling leaves open questions (08/06)
Appeals court upholds eagle protection laws (1/17)
Man denies crime for selling artifacts (11/16)
Indian man convicted of eagle violations (10/29)
Court to rehear eagle protection cases (8/9)
Minn. man sentenced for eagle violation (5/31)
Man pleads guilty to selling artifacts (11/2)
Undercover sting nets sacred artifacts (10/02)
Govt works to protect artifacts (6/29)
Yahoo! removes auction (6/22)
Culture for Sale: Sitting Bull (6/20)
Culture for Sale: eBay (5/23)