Techniques

Indigenous communities have been making quill-boxes and passing on the skill for generations. They were originally made for storage, and the picture on the top of the boxes would depict what was held inside like dried food, supplies, or herbs. (Hemenway and van Bussel, 29). Over time and throughout colonization, the boxes were instead made and sold as artwork and décor for white customers. Although the impacts of colonization in this way were not the original intent of quill work, the market demand for the boxes allowed Indigenous people to still be connected to their traditional skills and pass them on to future generations (Hemenway and van Bussel, 30). Yvonne Walker Keshick, a quill work artist and member of the Little Traverse Bay Band, surveyed quill work artists and found four techniques for quill-work box making which all have visibly distinctive styles (Hemenway and van Bussel, 29). This quill box was made using the open-faced technique, one that leaves the birch bark showing on the top and bottom of the box, with a design in the center. Because there are 4 different types and choices that Lorraine Besito could've chosen from to make this box, the open-faced technique was a deliberate choice that allowed the best presentation of the depiction of the Balitmore Oriole on the front. 

More information about Yvonne Walker Keshick's work can be found in the Four Views of a Trout Quillbox exhibit.