Washington(CNN) President Barack Obama ignored his own "no hats" edict Monday when he partook in a traditional American Indian ceremony in Washington.
Appearing at the White House's Tribal Nations conference, Obama was wrapped in a wool blanket and crowned with a straw hat as a show of honor.
Brian Cladoosby, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said the blanket was called "Rhythm of the Land." He said there was a blanket set aside for first lady Michelle Obama as well.
As members from different tribes played drums and shakers, Obama smiled and faced an audience comprised of representatives from the 567 federally recognized tribes that were invited to attend. He removed the hat after 20 seconds or so as the ceremony proceeded.
Photos: A hat tip to the presidents
President Barack Obama opted not to try on the Naval Academy football helmet presented to him during a ceremony at the White House on Friday, April 12. "Here's the general rule: You don't put stuff on your head when you're president," he said to laughter. "So, that's politics 101. You never look good when you are wearing something on your head." Take a look back at presidents who have broken the rule.
Apparently the rule is different during political campaigns. A supporter offered Obama this hat at a rally in Austin, Texas, in 2007.
President George W. Bush dresses for the location as he drives his pickup at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2002.
Golf has its traditional headwear, donned by President Bill Clinton at the Penn National Golf Club in Pennsylvania in 1997.
President George Bush tries on a hat given to him by the 74th American Legion at a convention in 1992.
President-elect Ronald Reagan is just a regular rancher at his spread in California shortly before his inauguration in 1981.
President Jimmy Carter works on a Habitat for Humanity home in LaGrange, Georgia, in 2003.
President Harry S. Truman boards the presidential yacht USS Williamsburg, formerly a Navy gunboat, bound for Florida on vacation in 1950.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt outside his home in Hyde Park, New York, in 1935.
Fedora was the style for Herbert Hoover in the early '20s before becoming president. At the time he was secretary of commerce in President Warren G. Harding's Cabinet.
President Warren G. Harding, left, sports a straw boater, while Vice President Calvin Coolidge chooses a fedora, in 1922.
In 1920 in New York, the occasion calls for a top hat for President Woodrow Wilson.
President Theodore Roosevelt is dressed for the hunt on a tour in Central Africa in 1909.
The top hat and President Abraham Lincoln are forever linked. He's pictured with Allan Pinkerton, left, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand at Antietam in Maryland.
"What an amazing honor and what a kind gesture for the honor song and the blanket and the hat," Obama said afterward, calling the event "very moving" and a reflection of the friendships he's developed among tribal communities.
An embroidered inscription on the blanket gave Obama's Crow namesake, "Black Eagle," and a description: "Awe Kooda Bilaxpak Kuxshish," or "One Who Helps People Throughout the Land."
A label identified the blanket as a product of the Pendleton Woolen Mills line.
"I have to say that I am very glad that you also have a blanket for Michelle so she doesn't steal mine," he said. "She would, too!"
Obama used his remarks to highlight his efforts toward improving conditions on reservations, including bolstering schools and advancing medical care.
The President has typically been wary of donning any headwear besides a baseball cap -- a political lesson he imparted during an appearance at the White House in 2013.
"Here's the general rule: You don't put stuff on your head if you're president. That's politics 101," he said when presented with a football helmet from the US Naval Academy. "You never look good wearing something on your head."