# How Porcupine Quills Become Art | Dillon Bickell

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/how-porcupine-quills-become-art-dillon-bickell
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/how-porcupine-quills-become-art-dillon-bickell.md
Podcast: [Behind The Village Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785)
Published: 2026-03-12T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/behind-the-village-podcast/2619657
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/341621/2619657/behind-the-village-podcast/2026_03_11_13_55_41_5b548ef5-a2d1-4ca7-91f3-41dd16745571.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-village-podcast-7047785/episodes/how-porcupine-quills-become-art-dillon-bickell
Duration seconds: 1287

## Resource

Dillon Bickell is an Anishinaabe quill worker from Chippewas of Rama First Nation, and one of only a handful of people in his community still practising this craft. In this conversation, he walks us through the entire process, from harvesting birch bark and sourcing porcupine quills to creating intricate designs held together by nothing but friction. Dillon talks about blood memory, the connection he feels to a grandmother he never met, and why he's driven to document and teach an art form that was nearly lost. He shares how he's pushing quill work into new territory with pop culture designs, commissioned medallions, and plans for a children's book that could give the next generation something he never had growing up. Dillon Bickell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quillinbydillon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quillinbydillon YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEc-c9z-JCKvd1RD78mtawQ Who are we Behind the Village is a podcast about how to live a life worth living. Real conversations about mental health, personal growth, and finding fulfillment. Follow Us Website: https://villagermagazine.ca/podcast/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast/id1763310022 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11fe4qRCPB22ybBg2wDznK Newsletter: https://villagermagazine.ca/subscribe/ Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:30 Meet Dillon Bickell, Anishinaabe Quill Worker 2:35 Blood Memory and His Grandmother's Legacy 5:06 How Porcupine Quills and Birch Bark Are Harvested 9:29 Tobacco Offerings and Cultural Teachings 10:26 Traditional and Pop Culture Quill Art 14:22 Commissions, Medallions, and Quill Boxes 17:51 Preserving Indigenous Art for Future Generations

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