Vintage Porcupine Quill Birch Bark Box with Maple Leaf Motif Anishinaabe

This vintage porcupine quill–decorated birch bark box is a finely made example of Woodland Indigenous craft tradition, most likely Anishinaabe / Ojibwe.

The cylindrical form is built from hand-cut birch bark panels, stitched and decorated with a woven sweetgrass band at the centre. The lid features a maple leaf motif, executed in naturally dyed porcupine quills arranged with symmetry.

Porcupine quillwork predates beadwork in many Indigenous cultures and required significant skill, patience, and knowledge of natural dyes. The restrained colour palette and balanced composition suggest a piece intended for personal use rather than mass production.

This box is offered without attribution to a specific artist. Construction, materials, and motifs are consistent with Anishinaabe / Woodland region quillwork traditions.

Details

Materials: Birch bark, porcupine quills, sweetgrass

Motif: Maple leaf

Diameter: 3 1/8"

Height: 2 1/8"

Construction: Hand-stitched bark panels with fitted lid

Condition: In very good condition overall but with losses to some quills in one area of the lid and one area of the bottom and what appears to be darkening on the top, probably from dust exposure - still displays very well. All elements remain structurally intact. Please review photos carefully.

This is a vintage cultural object, nice Canadian motif, good example of Anishinaabe craftsmanship!