Description: Mute Swan of porcupine quill on a coiled sweetgrass basket by Paul St John, Mohawk craftsman. This basket is a larger size than Paul's regular oval basket, those are between 5"-6" long. This one is 6.75" long and proportionately wider than most - more on it's dimensions below. Only the 2nd mute swan by Paul that I have been able to offer - other was smaller - a smaller basket and the swan was also smaller relative to the basket it was on... Mute swans are native to Northern Europe/Siberia. Brought to North America to add beauty to ponds in local parks and estates of the wealthy - these mute swans have gone feral and can be found wild in the Northeast and around the Great Lake region of North America. This mute swan is made of natural white porcupine quills with a black dyed eye and black area around end of it's orange dyed bill. Here the swan swims on blue dyed quill water with a green and brown dyed quill cattail both before and behind it. This is traditional quill on birch bark work. This basket has birch bark at center of lid and used as the bottom - then coiled tidal sweetgrass. It is 6.75" long, 5.5" across and about 2.5" high. The birch bark medallion at lid's center is 5.25" long and 3.75" wide. There is a border of natural white porcupine quills around the outer edge of the birch bark medallion - between the coiled sweetgrass and the medallion. Paul St. John now lives in Maine. He is an enrolled Mohawk tribal member. He grew up on the Mohawk lands in New York, his father's homeland. His mother is Passamaquoddy/MicMac/Maliseet - When I saw his work I knew immediately I needed to offer his great baskets. While quill work and coiled sweetgrass baskets are historically Maine Indian traditional crafts, currently no one here but Paul St. John is actively practicing this craft. - Passamaquoddy basket makers, Jeremy Frey and Otter, both have used some quill work on their baskets... but quill work on coiled sweetgrass baskets are Paul St John's specialty. Paul is shown in slideshow above with 2 of his works - one of them is a coiled sweetgrass basket with a side facing cardinal. He not only does sweetgrass coil baskets and porcupine quill work on birch bark -- but also amazing dolls, Iroquois beadwork, MicMac beadwork, great moccasins, knife sheaths, medicine bags and so much more! He is truly a man of many (many many) talents! Watch this store for more of his pieces. Can't wait to see what he is going to create next.
Price: 137.75 USD
Location: Sedgwick, Maine
End Time: 2025-01-28T18:18:53.000Z
Shipping Cost: 6.75 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Handmade: Yes
Modified Item: No
Category: Collectibles
Original or Reproduction: Original
Region or Culture: Northeast
Era: current
materials: porcupine quill, birchbark, sweetgrass
Country of Manufacture: United States
Exact Type: Birchbark/sweetgrass container w/quill design
Culture: Native American: US
Artisan: Paul St John, Mohawk
Tribal Affiliation: Mohawk
