When I am not working my "day" job, I demonstrate Native American Flutes, attend pre-1800s re-enactments/rendezvous events.

I have been working with quills since about the year 2000. I began learning the art from Bonita Bent-Nelson, someone I consider a very talented artist and Quillworker. I started my give-away year under her guidance, and completed it a year after, gifting her the purple dragon contemporary piece you see in the graphics. During the give-away year, those things I do not keep for myself are not to be sold. They can, however, be gifted to others and is encouraged. It is said that if one cannot give away, one will never recieve something back. To gift something is very important amongst the native people, and it is something that is often countered by a counter gift, also given with free will, though the one giving the gift does not give it just to recieve something back, it just happens more often than not. I have, since then, completed my give-away year, and am free to add quillwork to my other pieces, both contemporary and traditional.

I've been doing featherwork about as long as I have been practicing quillwork, and perhaps a little before. I've collected them since I was a child, but later I was taught how the feather is a very important gift from the bird. The feathers of the eagle and hawk and owl are sacred amongst many, but to the Great Lake tribes, the crane, the buzzard/vulture, and the heron are also just as sacred, if not more. When I work with feathers, they are ones I have personally collected during the molting seasons, or feathers that have come to me from places I trust to view their birds the same way as I - with respect with without cruelty. I see it as being very contradictory to create dancing feathers for regalia with featheres that have come from the mass farms of the food industry. While I respect that it is good not to waste ANYTHING, I would rather not have the killing energy in my featherwork.

Occassionally do make exceptions aquiring feathers from certain types of wild killed birds that were hunted for food and the reason is, as being Native American, I respect the animal who gave up it's life for someone to eat. Someone worked hard to hunt (it wasn't just going to the grocery and picking up some mass raised pen-raised animal that never knew the freedom of being able to stretch their wings.) Such birds or feathers, when I get them, are prayed over, and thanked for their sacrifice until the feeling I get from them are of acknowledgement of my request and my thanks. The remains that are unusable in any fashion are buried with respect and a prayer and usually an offering of tobacco. As long as much as possible is used when hunting to eat occurs, I believe it is all a part of nature, which is neither all nurturing or all cruel. Life is an enduring cycle, as is death. Those who request featherwork from me have the right to request purely molted feathers in their pieces. I respect that.

I make hair ties both with quills and without quills (with porcupine quilled strands, basically,) with tradional ends (no leather loops on the end of the feather) and non (brass cones or use of leather loops)with commercial or brain-tanned leather. I let my hands feel out what they want to do and let them pick out the feathers who want to be with each other. No pieces are exactly alike, and all are made with reverance. I will not work with quills or with feathers when I am feeling down or depressed, as I wouldn't want to wear that sort of negative energy, and I figure neither will someone else!

I often demonstrate at re-enactments when I have the time to do so, and I enjoy demonstrating both my flutes, and the basics of quillwork. Often I travel with my teacher (I'm always learning!) to pow-wows and events and help her when I can. I love working on the school days right before an event where the school kids come and ask questions about our "time period" and "what we do."