How to Make a Quill Medicine Wheel

Medicine wheels are a Native American symbol for balance, according to the University of Southern Maine. They signify an equilibrium between the four races, the four seasons and the four elements, and an interconnectedness between the mind, body, soul and emotions. Making medicine wheels out of porcupine quills is an even more traditional method compared to using paper or beads. You can even dye your quills in a more customary method, using ingredients from nature. A traditional medicine wheel is divided into four equal color segments---black, red, yellow and white---in a counterclockwise direction.

Things You'll Need

• Medicine wheel base
• Plastic lid
• Exacto knife
• Porcupine quills
• Fabric dyes
• Old cooking pot
• Metal spoon
• Glue gun or epoxy
• Scissors
• Darning needle

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Make a medicine wheel base, unless you have purchased one from a specialty shop or online. Draw two bands, 1/4 inch wide, on an old plastic container lid. The bands should run through the center of the lid, perpendicular to one another. Make sure that the bands do not touch the edge of the lid. Leave approximately 1/4 inch between the band ends and the cover's edge. Cut out the inner sections of the lid with an exacto knife so that the two "spokes" and a 1/4-inch wide "tire," or circular frame, remain.

• 2

  Cut the pointy ends off each quill. Soak the quills in warm, soapy water. Rinse with warm and then cool water.

• 3

  Dye any quills that are not already black or white. Follow the water-to-dye ratio recommended on the fabric dye packaging instructions. Place the water and dye in an old cooking pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and add the quills. Stir occasionally, for up to an hour, or until the quills have absorbed the desired color. Remove the quills from the cooking pot, rinse them with warm water and place them on paper towels to dry.

• 4

  Flatten the quills by pressing on them with the back of a metal spoon.

• 5

  Paste quills flat on the spokes on top of the medicine wheel base with a glue gun or epoxy. Start by pasting black quills on just half of one of the spokes. Rotate the wheel 90 degrees counterclockwise, and paste red quills on half of the blank spoke. Repeat by pasting yellow and white quills on the remaining spoke halves.

• 6

  Flip the medicine wheel over. Dab a little glue on the wheel's edge, take your first quill and bend its end, placing the fold on the glued surface. Start wrapping it tightly around the wheel's frame. Once the quill cannot be wrapped around anymore, take the second quill and fold it over the end of the first quill.

• 7

  Use a darning needle to tuck the end of the first quill and the beginning of the second quill under the wrapped surface. Continue until you have covered a quarter of the wheel's frame. Wrap each quarter section arc of the wheel with one of the four colors. Each arc should connect to a corresponding colored half-spoke. Repeat for the three remaining colors. If you have any quills left, wrap them around the spokes.