Micmac Quillwork

About this book

"The Micmac Indian women of Eastern Canada and New England have long been noted for their exquisite work in porcupine quills, particularly their mosaics of quills on birchbark. 'Micmac Quillwork', the first major work on this art form, falls naturally into three sections. The opening chapters are a comprehensive history of the craft, from the period of European contact to the present, tracing the use of quill weaving, embroidery, plaiting, wrapping, and the rise of the technique known as bark-insertion. As bark-insertion was the only type of quillwork to survive into the 19th and 20th centuries, the book's main emphasis is on this variation. Section Two covers materials, construction and ornamentation techniques, with Section Three an exhaustive record of quillwork designs. Comparisons are made to similar motifs in other Micmac media. An appendix discusses known quillwork artists; another deals with the conservation of quillwork. There is an extensive bibliography." - from the dust jacket. Includes over 500 b&w illustrations/pictures (and 32 colour pictures) of quillwork items of the Micmac people.