Four Views of a Columbine Quillbox

Observe the design and detailed of the quillbox. Not all of the lid is covered with quills, exposing the birch bark. The seam of the lid contains sweetgrass sewn in by sinew. Every quill has been strategically placed, and not a single one is broken or obscured. The inside of the box is much barer. There are no quills, just simple yet beautiful birch bark. On the bottom of the quillbox, lightly carved are the words “Chimookaamon Kwe”, “2013”, and “White Woman”.

Upon first glance of this quillbox, I recognized the distinct shape of the red and blue flowers. The trunk-like shape of the red flowers, their compound leaves, and the ever-noticable yellow stamen peeking between red petals. They were Eastern Columbine. The small blue flowers accompanying them on the quillbox were Forget-Me-Nots, easily recognisable by their curled inflourescence.