Quillwork

Using the quills of the porcupine, this intricate art is used to decorate hide, fabric, and birchbark.

A healthy adult porcupine has approximately 30,000 off-white quills. The quills are collected from the porcupine, which has either been killed for food or has been destroyed by road kill. The quills are carefully pulled out with bare hands or with a leather glove. Pliers can easily crack the quill. The quill cannot be dyed properly if the air inside escapes. Each quill has a barbed tip and once it gets into your skin it can be painful and hard to pull out.

After the quills are pulled, they are washed in hot soapy water. It takes at least five changes of water to remove the natural grease >>> READ MORE

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