“Gaawii Eta-Go Aawizinoo Gaawiye Mkakoons: It’s Not Just A Quillbox” runs Dec. 13-March 29

Nswi-minidook / Three Shamans
Carl Beam (Anishinabek), gaa-segaajigaadang gijeying / designer of top , M’Chigeeng First Nation, Mnidoo Mnising, Ontario / West Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario
Maime Migwans (Anishinabek), Gaa-zhitoot mkakoonhs / maker of box
M’Chigeeng First Nation, Mnidoo Mnising, Ontario / West Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario
Image by Minnie Wabanimkee

INDIANAPOLIS – A fascinating exhibition of Native quill art – one of the earliest forms of decorative art in North America – opens Dec. 13 at the Eiteljorg Museum. In the traveling exhibition Gaawii Eta-Go Aawizinoo Gaawiye Mkakoons: It’s Not Just A Quillbox, visitors will experience more than 90 quilled artworks and learn about the artists who made them.

Native artists of the Great Lakes region specialize in using porcupine quills, sweetgrass and birch bark to create brilliant, embroidered quill boxes and art featuring designs inspired by woodland floral and fauna, including vibrant geometric designs. Not only does the exhibition highlight a regional Indigenous art form through many sensational examples, it also celebrates Anishinabemowin, the spoken language of the Odawa (Ottawa), Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Bodewadmi (Potawatomi), all Anishinaabek peoples of the Great Lakes region. To underscore the resiliency of the language, the exhibition has bilingual panels printed in Anishinabemowin, followed by English translations.

A traveling exhibition of the Ziibiwing Center for Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Gaawii Eta-Go Aawizinoo Gaawiye Mkakoons: It’s Not Just A Quillbox continues daily at the Eiteljorg through March 29, 2026, and is included with regular museum admission.

“This remarkable exhibition features pieces by today’s quillwork artists or those within living memory, along with stories of their Ancestors whose knowledge has been passed down through generations,” said Monica Jo Raphael (Anishinaabe / Sičáŋğu Lakota), who is Hoback curator of Great Lakes Native art, cultures and community engagement at the Eiteljorg, and worked to bring the exhibition to the museum. “Our visitors have an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the cultural importance of porcupine quill art to the Anishinabek peoples and be inspired by the creativity of each artist.”

Installation view of intricately quilled birchbark containers at the Ziibiwing Center for Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways.
Image by Minnie Wabanimkee

Long before European colonial settlers introduced the trade in glass beads into North America, porcupine quills were the medium many Native artists used to adorn baskets and clothing with decorative designs. Quill art remains a powerful art form to this day. The exhibition discusses how quillwork artists obtain their materials during certain seasons: gathering sweetgrass, collecting strips of bark from birch trees, harvesting the sharp quills from porcupines, adding color to the quills with hand-made natural plant dyes, and intricately weaving and sewing them together.

Visitors can learn more about quill art and the exhibition at these Eiteljorg events:

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12: Members and Friends Night. Enjoy a first look at Gaawii Eta-Go Aawizinoo Gaawiye Mkakoons: It’s Not Just A Quillbox, meet some of the artists and take part in an immersive art experience to kick off the exhibition. Registration also includes an after-hours opportunity to explore the Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure, with tastings of fine spirits. Tickets are $30 per person or $25 for Eiteljorg members; register at this link.
• 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13: Opening Day Programming. Curator Monica Jo Raphael is a quillwork artist whose work appears in museums including the Eiteljorg. She will lead a gallery tour of the new exhibition at 11 a.m., followed by a demonstration of quillworking at 1 p.m. Both are included with regular museum admission; members have free admission.
• February 26-28, 2026: Quillbox Workshops. Artist Melissa Peter-Paul (Mi’kmaw) will lead workshosp on making quill art. Save the dates and visit Eiteljorg.org/events for registration details and other programs with the artist.

Gaawii Eta-Go Aawizinoo Gaawiye Mkakoons: It’s Not Just A Quillbox is organized by the Ziibiwing Center; the Michigan Traditional Arts Program; the MSU Office of University Outreach and Engagement; and the Michigan State University Museum. It originally was made possible by the Terra Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. Pam and Gary Jursik are sponsors of the Eiteljorg Museum’s local presentation of the exhibition.

Nji-sa ndoweminaanik/ To Our Sisters
Yvonne Walker Keshick (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians)
Harbor Springs, Michigan
Michigan State Gchi-kinoomaagegamik, Michigan Naadiziiwin gegoo Zhichigan nokiiwin/ Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Traditional Arts Program Collection 7594.20
Image by Minnie Wabanimkee

About the Eiteljorg
For more than 36 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

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