03.25.22 Tribal Quillwork

Tribal Quillwork
of the Great Plains

By Rebekah Powers | March 2022

Before the traders brought glass beads from Europe, there were porcupine quills. In an art form unique to Native Americans, the plains women became experts in the use of this renewable, durable natural resource.

Porcupines are favored animals among many tribes, representing humility and modesty. If a hunter spotted a porcupine on his hunt, it was a sign that he would be lucky. The quills are hollow, helping the heavy animal float when necessary. And of course, the quill is a built in defense mechanism with wicked sharp points.

Women would collect and sort the quills, carefully cutting off the tips, scrubbing the outer layers clean and flattening them so that they could be sewn onto buckskin.

The historic Cheyenne Quilling Society kept records of the highest order of quill artists, who became known and honored for their work. Training in the art form began with moccasins, then progressed to cradle boards, pipe bags, rosettes for decoration on men’s shirts, and finally, the most prestigious accomplishment a woman could achieve: 30 complete Buffalo robes.

Chimayo Trading recently acquired moccasins made by a revered woman whose name is Standing Out. It is rare that we know the identity and story of a moccasin maker. Standing Out must have lived up to her name as it has echoed down through time. She married George Bent who was half Cheyenne and had two daughters, Mary and Daisy Bent. There is even a photograph of Standing Out with her husband George “Ho-My-Ike” Bent, whose mother was Cheyenne.

The photo of Daisy Bent, in formal attire as a “Soldier Girl”, includes a headdress of eagle feathers would have been placed on her head by a male relative and removed by him after the ceremony, as woman and girls were not allowed to touch eagle feathers.

Chimayo Trading hopes to illuminate the resourcefulness of Native Americans as well as the priceless beauty that they create by elevating daily life to an art form. Come and immerse yourself in our historic expanded gallery spaces and come to know another way of life.

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Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

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Contact us directly to discuss and evaluate your collection. If you’re an artist, contact us about the possibility of selling your art on consignment or direct wholesale purchase.

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