Birch bark, sweetgrass, quills (undyed (white, brown), red, black), black cotton thread

The outer body of the box is a single piece of undecorated second-growth birchbark (a trademark of Maime's work, and another element influenced by her nephew, artist Carl Beam). The decorated lid inserts inside the body with a lip overhanging slightly. The lid's sweetgrass trim extends out several inches to form this lip, and the ring of birchbark that forms the fitted insert is sewn to its underside. The interior of the body is lined with the customary layer of birchbark, with the floor stitched on with four knotted quills, and the sides tabbed and folded at the bottom and stitched into the sweetgrass at the top.

Lid: A horned underwater panther looms in the foreground, while a small (or distant) canoe carrying seven figures passes behind it, under a small red cross in the sky. Worked in undyed quills (white and brown) on a solid white background. A ring of bare birchbark encircles the scene, with a ring of red and black quills and then the sweetgrass trim. Body: undecorated. On the bottom of the box the following is stitched with white quills: "Maime Migwans. West Bay. 1984. Manitoulin Island." and the number '15' is written underneath in blue pen.

This scene was adapted from the petroglyphs at Agawa on Lake Superior by artist Carl Beam, who suggested the design to Maime. Beam made an effort to revitalize these petroglyph images in the art of Manitoulin. The Mizhibizhiw (Underwater Panthers) of ancient Anishinaabe tradition are powerful creatures who live under the water with an army of serpents, and battle with the Thunderbirds above. In this scene, the canoe passes unharmed behind the great predator, perhaps guided by the red four-directions cross above (another element which Beam adapted from early images and incorporated into his own art). This scene is likely meant to accompany quillbox A1.01.033 (which could be considered a 'close-up' of this one), which shows a canoe protected within a circle of Thunderbird lightning, and one of the figures bearing the horns signifying spiritual power.

Noted in "Quillwork" exhibition catalogue

Purchased by the OCF for the "Quillwork" exhibition in 1984.

Exhibited in the 1984 traveling OCF exhibition "Quillwork."

"Quillwork" (1984) exhibition catalogue, published by Art-I-Craft and the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.

Maime Migwans, box, quill. Currently at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, A1.01.025. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip; GRASAC item id 27187.

Dummy GRASAC records of collections made by Lakota Preston, April 2010, items labelled and info updated by Juanita Migwans, summer 2010. Photos and item spreadsheet created June 2011 by Adrianna Greci-Green (visiting to research quill boxes in the OCF collection), Crystal Migwans (OCF curatorial assistant) and Emanuela Rossi (visiting researcher), using information from Sophie Corbiere, Kate Roy, and 2003 appraisal sheets by P.Krueger. Records edited and filled out by Crystal Migwans, June 2011.