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INDIAN BEADWORK 
QUILLWORK. 
Quillwork seems to have been more widely spread than beadwork; 
in fact, it was almost universal throughout Canada and eastern and 
central United States. From remarks of early explorers we infer that 
quillwork was found among the Indians of Manhattan Island. 
The quill of the porcupine is the universal material, though occa- 
sionally bird quills were substituted. First the quills were dyed, then 
flattened, folded to the right length and sewed down by a concealed 
stitch. These stitches vary a great deal, even in the same tribe. A 
few of the most common are shown in the figures. 
But quills are also used in weaving, as stated. In this case the warp 
threads of sinew are stretched on a bow, somewhat as in the figure for 
bead weaving, the flattened quills are passed around the weft and driven 
up close, resulting in a charming texture. Designs are formed by in- 
troducing different colored quills. 
If a close study of all the forms of quill and beadwork is made, it 
will appear that woven quillwork is the parent of all, for the manner of 
sewing quills down to the skin is such that the relation of quill and 
thread loops is similar to their relation in the woven quill band. It is 
difficult to conceive how the curious method of laying these quills in 
rows and bands could have developed except in imitation of woven 
quillwork. 
While glass beads are modern, there was some bead weaving before 
1492. The famous wampum belts were woven. But there were other 
tribes who cut sections of quills that were treated precisely as the long 
wampum shell bead by the Iroquois. It is, therefore, a fair assumption 
that the wampum bead is a development from quills and the wampum 
belt an outgrowth of quill weaving. There is still a great deal to learn 
from the study of Indian quill and beadwork to which this little book is 
but an introduction. 
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