Unknown Maker, Huron-Wendat

Huron (also called Huron-Wendat) women are known for their colorful moose-hair embroidery. In their homelands in southern Ontario, Canada, the Huron traditionally hunt moose, and their embroidery utilizes hair from the neck and cheek of the animal. Used in its natural white color or dyed with natural or aniline dyes, the moose hair is tacked to the surface material—in this case birchbark—using a couching stitch. Huron designs are often nature-inspired: note the berries and flowers on this card case. Note also that it has some missing stitches. Since the artist used biodegradable materials, some damage is expected over time.

–Sháńdíín Brown, Henry Luce Curatorial Fellow for Native American Art