Craft Focus: Porcupine Quillwork
Oldest Form of Embroidery used by Native Americans
By Crazy Crow Trading Post ~ September, 2012
Porcupine Quillwork
Oldest Form of Native Americans Embroidery
By Crazy Crow Trading Post ~ September, 2012
Uses of Porcupine Quillwork
Porcupine quillwork is perhaps the oldest form of embroidery used by Native Americans. Quills were folded, twisted, wrapped, plaited and sewn using a wide range of techniques to decorate articles of clothing, bags, knife sheaths, baskets, wooden handles and pipe stems. This quillwork has been and continues to be used to decorate the basketry of various Native American tribes.
As an artform, porcupine quillwork is completely unique to the Native Americans of North Americans. Quillwork was a major decorative element used by the peoples who inhabited the natural habitat of the porcupine before glass beads were introduced by European traders [1}. These habitats included the Subarctic, Northeastern Woodlands, and Northern Plains. The use of quills in designs ranges from Maine to Alaska. [2] Tools used for quillworking were discovered in Alberta, Canada, dating back to the 6th century CE.[3]
Credit Above Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Kainai Shirt early 1900s Glenbow_Museum./h3>
Click image to enlarge.
Cheyenne oral history, as told by Picking Bones Woman to George Bird Grinnell, says that the art of “quilling” came to their tribe from a man who married a woman, who hid her true identity as a buffalo. His son was also a buffalo. The man visited his wife and son in their buffalo home, and, while among the buffalo, the man learned the art of quilling, which he shared with the women of his tribe.[4]
Joining the Cheyenne Quilling Society was a prestigious honor for Cheyenne women. Upon entering the Society, women would work first on quilling moccasins, then cradleboards, rosettes for men’s shirts an tipis, and ultimately, hide robes and backrests.[5]
The Blackfoot tribe in the Northwest also placed considerable significance on women who did quillwork. For the Blackfoot this included a religious purpose such as wearing special face paint. This paint consisted of a yellow ochre and animal fat mixed in the palm of the hand which would then make a ‘V’ marking across their forehead to the nose. This was meant to protect the women who was participating in quillwork and was always done before beginning that work. Red paint would then be used to draw a vertical line from the bridge of the nose to the forehead to resemble the foot of a crow. As another form of protection, they would wear sacred necklaces each time they did quillwork.[6] When a woman got older and could not her craft she would take a younger woman as an initiate, usually a relative, in order to pass the craft on. Being a woman who made quillwork in the Blackfoot tribe held major importance as the few women who did quillwork would choose who would become the next assume the craft of quillwork. A new initiate would be expected to craft a moccasin and place it on top of a hill as a form of offering to the sun.[7]
Quillwork also held a religious significance among the Arapaho and Odawa as their works would represent sacred beings and connections to nature. Colors and shapes also had unique meanings allowing for diverse and unique designs carrying many cultural or religious meanings.[8] The Odawa tribe in particular used many of the same colors as the Blackfoot tribe with the addition of white, yellow, purple, and gold.[9]
Credit Above Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Santee Sioux Moccasin ca. 1890, Portland Art Museum
Click image to enlarge.
Porcupine quillwork was used to decorate a variety of Native American items, both for ceremonial use and including those of daily usage to Native American men and women. These include clothing such as coats and moccasins, accessories such as bags and belts, furniture attachments such as a cradle cover, and rawhide and tanned hides. During the 19th century, quilled birch bark boxes became a popular trade item that was sold to European-Americans among Eastern and Great Lakes tribes. [10]
Beadwork Replaces Quillwork
Porcupine quills were used for decorative work as mentioned above until approximately 1850 when the trade and application of glass beads replaced quills as the decoration of choice. This transition was made easier because: (1) Tiny glass beads allowed use of the same designs used in quillwork; (2) More colors were available; (3) Quills no longer had to be acquired, washed, sorted, and dyed before work could begin. While quillwork is beautiful, unique, and usually very well done, there were limitations to the colors and designs which could be applied.
Pulling, Cleaning & Dying Porcupine Quills
A porcupine quill is just a large ‘hair’ with a hard, shiny shell and a pithy, soft interior. A grown porcupine has quills and hair of different shapes and sizes. The flexible, slender ‘guard hairs’ can measure almost a foot in length and are used for hair ‘roaches’, the most popular headdress worn by male pow wow dancers today . Quills used for embroidery, loomwork, or wrapping range from 4″ quills on the porcupines back to 1/2″ quills around the head and flanks of the animal. Most quills are 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.[11]
Credit Above Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cree-Métis Panel Bag ca 1840 Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Click image to enlarge.
Sorting is based on types of quillwork to be done: (1) large quills, mostly from the tail, are used for filling large areas in designs and wrapping handles of, for example, pipe stems; (2) medium sized quills, mostly from the porcupine’s back, are used for such things as loom work; (3) fine quills, usually from the neck, and often nearly transparent, are used for embroidery; (4) really thin quills, from near the belly are used for delicate lines, etc. in designs. [12]
Carefully pull the hair and quills with bare hands. Leather or rubber gloves can be used but they tend to catch on the barbed quills. Do not use pliers as they can damage the quills, resulting in problems later with the dying process. Note that quills come out more easily if a porcupine carcass is left ‘out’ for a couple of days (less in sweltering heat). This is not a job with the most pleasing aroma!
Long guard hairs are pulled first. Try not to pull the underfur out with the quills. To clean the plucked quills, remove any fur or debris, and soak the quills in hot soapy water. Rinse, and repeat until the quills are a nice bright white color. This should remove the oils from the quills, making dying much easier. It may be necessary to soak quills that are especially ‘dirty’ for a few minutes in a very mild solution of water and bleach. Keep in mind that bleach may damage the quills, making them brittle and susceptible to cracks. After you complete the cleaning process, spread the quills out to dry.[13]
Dyeing Quills
Quills readily take dye, which originally was derived from local plants that included a wide spectrum of colors, with black, yellow, and red being the most common. By the 19th century, commercial aniline dyes were available through trade, increasingly replacing natural dyes. Today, these dyes are easily obtainable and even easier to use. While this may be true due to convenience, the quality of an infinite number of natural dyes traditionally used by Native Americans is still an option for those willing to learn and use them. The vibrant and varied colors of quills produced using natural dyes are still highly desired today, but their recipes are known to a very few. Simply knowing the ingredients used to produce a color is not enough, as many dye recipes required the specifics of times and temperatures or the addition of an ingredient at just the right moment.
Credit Above Photo: Photographed by Pierre Fabre Tobacco Bag Pierre L. Fabre collection, 2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sioux Quilled Tobacco Bag ca 1900.
Click image to enlarge.
Colors and some Natural Dye ingredients:
Mordants:
Mordants are often added to keep dyes from fading, or to brighten, deepen, or dull a color. Depending on the recipe and on the desired effect, mordants can be used before, during or after the dye bath. Acidic mordants like currants or gooseberries (even vinegar) can help make colors more permanent. Deeper colors can be achieved by adding (female) dock root. Other natural mordants include birch, oak (especially black oak soaked in standing water for 2 years), iron oxides (ground hematite), and hardwood (or cedar bark) ashes.
Modern commercially available mordants include iron sulfate/Coppreas (dulls/gray tones), tin (brightens), chrome (stronger/browner tones), copper sulfate/blue vitriol (green tones), alum (yellow tones) and cream of tartar (deeper tones). Note that some mordants are toxic and you must be careful to have proper ventilation when they are used in steaming dye baths. [15]
Dying the Quills
When ready for dying, a vessel is filled with water, the dye and quills added and (barely) simmered for 1/2 to 3 hours or more. If boiled, or left unattended the quills can become soft, brittle, or they can even dissolve into a glue. After dying, quills are strained from the bath (sometimes rinsed in cold water) and are left spread-out to dry in the air. Quills rubbed with animal oils after they’ve been dyed have a longer life, as they do not dry out and become brittle.
Credit Above Photo: University of Pennsylvania, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Huron Indian Moccassin ca 1918.
Click image to enlarge.
Quillwork Tools
The tools listed below are some of Nancy Fonticello’s most useful quillworking tools. Most are commercially available from sewing supply houses and hardware stores. Technique links in this article point to her webpages. More about Nancy Fonticello.
Safety Note
A note on putting quills in your mouth: DON’T. They did it in the old days, and some say that it is the only way to go, but according to Nancy Fonticello, DON’T! There is a very high incidence of rabies in the wild animal populations in the East and even some reports of bubonic plague in the West, and you can never tell where a porcupine has been. She recommends soaking quills in a saucer to be completely adequate for the task. Once you have worked with them a little while, you will be able to tell immediately when a quill has been soaking too long. Just push it out to the side of the saucer and let it dry a little. [22]
Credit Above Photo: Courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons. Native American quilled hide coat ca 1830-1850.
Click image to enlarge.
Quilling Techniques
The quills can be flattened with specific bone tools or by being run through one’s teeth. Awls were used to punch holes in hides, and sinew, later replaced by European thread, was used to bind the quills to the hides.
Credit Above Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Quilled Knife Sheath ca. 1916 from Great Lakes Regiion.
Click image to enlarge.
This article is meant to an overview of the art of porcupine quillwork, not to provide details of the techniques to be used. The links below offer illustrated and detailed information for the techniques indicated.
Craft Focus Quillwork Online Resources
Regardless of the type quillwork project you have in mind, we have tried to assemble all the available online links and resources to help with the task. As additional information is found or created, we will add it in order to keep this reference current. In addition to the Web resources, we also highlight related products offered by Crazy Crow to make your porcupine quillwork craft project easier and the results more assured. We are particularly grateful to assistance and pictures of
Nancy Fonicello of Ancient Artways Studio.
Frequently Asked Questions About Porcupine Quillwork – Nancy Fonicello
Common questions regarding removal and preparation of porcupine quills.
Canku-Ota – Craft Series – The Art of Quillwork – Part One
Part one of this craft series discusses the history, description of quills, how to obtain them, how to remove them, calcification of quills, preparing quill and dying quills.
Canku-Ota – Craft Series – The Art of Quillwork – Part Two
This article provides different techniques, designs, quillwork on birch bark and on leather. Also includes a listing of books and websites on this subject.
Quillwork – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Includes quillwork information and links: History, Technique, Today, Notes, References, External links
About Porcupines – Native Tech
Fact and myth about our prickly friends. Includes map showing areas where porcupines range and areas where quillwork was popular.
Tools and Materials for Embroidery Techniques – Nancy Fonicello
Type leather, threads, quill flatteners and other tools used in porcupine quillwork.
Introduction to Techniques & Methods of Porcupine Quillwork – Nancy Fonicello
Presents in simple terms, some of the techniques used in the art of porcupine quill emboidery.
Porcupine Quill Embroidery – Native Tech
Introduction to this popular decorative technique used to embellish articles of clothing, bags, knife sheaths, baskets, wooden handles and pipe stems.
The Zig-Zag Technique – Nancy Fonicello
Probably the simplest quillwork style to learn, and is yet very versatile.
The Parallel or Band Technique – Nancy Fonicello
Similar to the zig-zag technique except that the quills on the top row are folded away rather than toward you. The foundation for more advanced quillwork stitches.
The Single-Quill Line Technique – Nancy Fonicello
Executed the same way as the parallel band technique, except you use one thread instead of two, and the quill is left whole and not trimmed until the work is completed.
Multiquill Plaiting Techniques – Nancy Fonicello
Multiquill plaiting is the term commonly used to describe a type of quillwork which has the appearance of being “woven” with many quills at once.
Preparation of Porcupine Quills – Native Tech
Description of the quills, how to pluck and prepare them for use.
Quill Looming Techniques – Nancy Fonicello
Photo close-ups showing loomwork, line quilling and edging techniques.
Quill Wrapping on Rawhide – Nancy Fonicello
Diagram of quill wrapping technique.
Porcupine Quill Decoration on Birchbark – Native Tech
Introduction to a series of articles explaining: Materials & Tools for Decorating Bark with Quills, Quill Decorated Boxes and Other Bark Objects, Designs used in Quilling on Birch Bark, Techniques and Patterns to Attach Quills to Birch Bark
Instructions for Making a Quilled Birch Bark Pendant.
Ancient Artways Studio – Nancy Fonicello’s website
Website of numerous articles on the subject of quillwork. Photo gallery shows examples of work.
Quillwork in the Northwest Territories
Description and pictures of various types of quillwork: woven quillwork, sewn quillwork, quillwork on birchbark, and a brief discussion of other types of quillwork. PDF file.
Porcupine Characteristics – Natureworks
Describes: characteristics, Range, Habitat, Food, Reproduction and behavior of porcupines. Great Pictures for kids.
19th Century Mi’kmaq Quilled Box
This is a fine example of a Mi’kmaq birch-bark box decorated with porcupine quills collected in Newfoundland in the early 19th century.
Why Porcupine has Quills – Chippewa Legend
Also includes facts about our prickly friend, as well as a short article on quillwork.
Resources
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