This small round quill box exhibits fine stitchery on the top and is comprised of quills and a central red flower. Before European explorers and settlers introduced trade beads to Native Americans, porcupine quills were often used in the decoration of clothing, horse trappings, and other regalia. For over 200 years, Anishinaabe women sold many of their birchbark containers and baskets to non-Native people to sustain their families during times of major cultural disruption. Quillboxes exemplify the ability of Anishinaabe women to create a new and unique art form that expresses cultural and individual resiliency and creativity. Quillwork is extremely complex, requiring a high degree of skill, experience, and patience. A wrapping technique, where flattened quills are wound around a strip of buckskin, is used for fringes and jewelry. A stitching method is used for decorating buckskin dresses and other flat surfaces. The third major technique, plaiting, is used primarily for decorating pipe stems and tampers. This quill box’s layered quills in complex patterns shows both technical mastery and artistic ingenuity. Artist Mary Base received third place for this work at the Gathering of Nations Annual Pow Wow Art Contest in Gallup, NM, in 1982. According to the collector, Allie Maldonado, this quill box was recently restored by Arnold Shawanoo Walker in northern Michigan. The award ribbon is also present inside the box. More about the Walker family—along with the importance of quill art to Anishinaabe families—can be found online on the National Endowment for the Arts website.