http://expensive111.blogspot.com/ 

http://expensive111.blogspot.com/ 

://honeymoon-resort.blogspot.com/

Some here may find these two links from the same website to be interesting reading:

http://www.greecetravel.com/archaeology/mitsopoulou/feathers/index.htmCommon Origins of Man: A Universal
Practice
The Decoration of the Head With Feathers
by Theresa
Mitsopoulou
and
http://www.greecetravel.com/archaeology/mitsopoulou/feathers/page2.htm
American Indians, Their Headresses and Shields;
Feathers, Shields and Headresses from Other
Societies 

That said, the tradition of females wearing skimpy body revealing costumes doesn’t necessarily come from African or Native American traditional cultures. Instead, the carnival tradition of females wearing sexy outfits comes from the American/Western custom of the vaudeville (music hall) chorus line. Furthermore, the music & dancing that is associated with contemporary African Diaspora carnivals- soca much more than steel drums [pan] for Caribbean festivals, as well as Toronto’s Caribbean festival & the New York City’s Caribbean festival) and the samba for the Brazilian festival-definitely are associated with females publicly flaunting their sexiness.

Here’s a video of scenes from 2007 Caribana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S7gVradVCo&feature=relatedCARIBANA – Caribana parade in beautiful Toronto Canada 

Here’s a photo collage of the Brazilian festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzNtuAFXzg&feature=relatedWatch Brazil 2011 Carnival Preview: Brazil Carnival 2011 Rio 
 
In some sense, the expectation that female paraders at African Diaspora carnivals will wear chorus girl type bikinis that many would consider to be sexy is similar to the  expectation that female cheerleaders, figure skaters, and tennis players will wear the revealing outfits they do. Some feminists (female and male) can maintain that it is wrong for these females to wear outfits that flaunt their sexiness. However, in my opinion, that debate is separate from the subject of whether Afro-Caribbean people should dress up like Indians. I think that we can if we don’t name a specific real life tribe or nation.  In my opinion, wearing costumes that are named after specific real life Native American populations moves this custom of wearing feathers and skimpy clothing into cultural inappropriateness.  So to be clear, I believe that Black people who may or may not have Indian ancestry can wrongly appropriate customs from Indian people, regardless of whether those Black people have any Indian ancestry or not.

I also believe that people of African descent can wrongly appropriate customs or group names from other people of African descent. For example, I think the Rock & Roll dance “The Watusi” is culturally inappropriate. I also had a LOT of issues with the black faced, coconut throwing African American Mardi Gras kwewe, the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club. It seems from their photos this African American Mardi Gras kwewe is moving away from wearing blackface. I believe that they did so or are doing so because of public pressure from other African Americans. In my opinion rightfully so. http://www.kreweofzulu.com/gallery/

In your comment that serves as a response, it appears to me that you completely disregarded the “historic alliance” portion of that comment and wrote that “So the argument is that this can’t be problematic cultural appropriation or propagation of the sexualized Indian Princess trope because it is part of an event meant to celebrate and recognize the histories and cultures of groups that have themselves been the target of discrimination and political/cultural exclusion.”

-snip-

The point that deadwards was making was that there have long been traditional relationships between Native Americans and African Americans, including intermixing & intermarriage. That commenter refers to the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. Here’s an excerpt about the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans:
 

“A Short History Of Mardi Gras Indians” by Willie
W. Clark Jr.  (11-16-1999) 
http://www.mardigrasdigest.com/Sec_mgind/history.htm :

The Black Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans are a
unique sub-culture of a highly diverse and complex group of the local
population . The tradition of these masking Indians, dates back to the
1700’s.  The scholars that claim to know the origins of the Mardi Gras Indians (a two hundred year old tradition) sometimes conflict on the precise history. As a result of this lack of a solid path in the knowledge of Indian history, many theories abound, but this much is for certain, the Indians have preserved some of their culture and history in the guise of tradition, and that tradition at the time of Mardi Gras, is now an integral part of New Orleans. In the heart of New Orleans since the 1780’s and perhaps earlier, this ancient colorful and artistic culture has been practiced. A culture, that be it known, exhibits all of that tradition, with some of the
positive heritage, and is quite a unique history.

-snip-

Nickey Robo provided the link to the Wikipedia page. Here’s a link to one of many YouTube videos of the Mardi Gras Indians:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=885H8Nm4zJ4
Mardi Gras Indians 2 21 09

-snip-

The connection between the New Orlean Mardi Gras Indians and the Afro-Caribbean junkanoo groups and other Afro-Caribbean festive groups should also be noted. However, I would like to emphasize that most of the Mardi Gras Indians who mas (wear intricately beaded and feathered outfits) and parade are male. Furthermore, females who mas & parade (such as the Mardi Gras Indian’s “nation’s” Queen) wear long beaded/feathered outfits and NOT bikini-like outfits.And while there are historical connections and some blood ties between many African Americans/Afro-Caribbeans & Native Americans, it’s my strong position that the Caribana bands were very cultural incompetent to use the names of actual Native American/Indigenous populations (such as “Native
Apache” or Sacrificial “Mayan Virgins”). And they were wrong to use the general referent “Tribal Princess”. That said, I don’t think that the overall Caribana theme of “Native Americans” was wrong-in part because of the various ties between Black people and Native Americans that I mentioned. 

I believe that the efficacy of the “celebrating Native Americans” theme can & should be separated from the efficacy of the “sexy Indian princess” theme (as the Mardi Gras Indians have done). And I definitely agree with those who have written that the “sexy Indian princess” is not only stereotypical but grossly inappropriate in light of the history and present conditions of First Nation females who have been raped.  Yet, people have come to expect sexy, next to nothing outfits on females who are part of Carnival bands in Brazil, in Trinidad & Tobago, in Toronto, and in New York City (which has one of the largest West Indian festivals in the world), and elsewhere.  And Indians are not the only people in the world who have traditionally wore feathers and beads during festive and/or religious occassions.

In ending this long comment, I want to share these links to another American parade tradition that is known for its’ feathered bands-The Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] Mummers. The similarities between the feathered outfits of (the almost totally White) Philadelphia Mummers and the (Black/Black-Indian) Mardi Gras Indian groups is quite striking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnbXJg-GNiE&feature=related
Greater Overbrook – 2010 Mummers Parade Wide Angle