Porcupines are rarely seen, but when one is spotted it is immediately killed. The cleaning process is done by laying the body down on hot coals which will burn the quills off. The intestines and other organs are cleaned out. The meat is butchered in small pieces either to boil or to roast. The meat is very rich and tasty.         Drawing by B. Wysosky from The Fort Nelson Story by permission of Gerri Young   provided by the Fort Nelson Friendship Centre         Quills, for craft work are taken from the neck or the sides of the porcupine. The best way to remove the quills is to throw a blanket or a towel on the porcupine. The quills catch into the material and then are easily removed by hand. This beautiful handmade birch basket was made using porcupine quills, moosehide strips, birch, sinew, redwood willow and roots from a spruce tree. Traditionally, quillwork was created on birch bark and moosehide. Before attaching the porcupine quills you must create and mark a design on the material. The quills are sharp and pointed at one end. Liz Burke can remember watching her mother working with the quills. As a cautionary tale, Liz’s mother told Liz and the other children not to touch the sharp quills. If they accidentally poked themselves with them they could pierce their heart. Believing this, no one played with the quills. The sharp end of the quill is cut off to let air out of the quill. Liz remembers seeing her mother place the clipped quills in her mouth as she worked on the design. Later she learned that the saliva in your mouth softens the quills and makes them easier to work with. The quills are less likely to break or stretch. Once softened, the quills are also flattened between your teeth.         provided by the Fort Nelson Friendship Centre An overhand stitch is used to attach the quill to material. You must go through both sides of the quill and then down through the material. This is repeated along the whole length of the quill, every 3 or 4 mm. While stitching, the quill is pressed flat against the material. Beading thread is most often used today but Liz remembers her mother using sinew. [Sinew is made from the muscle along the back of the moose.] Baskets and quillwork done by Mrs. Adeline Dickie         Quills were and still are used for decorations on clothing and jewelry and baskets.

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