Northwood’s Profiles:

Melvin Losh: Quill Basket Artist, Bena, MN

Melvin Losh is a noted Native American artist and lifelong member of the Leech Lake Band on the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota.   He has lived all 60 years of his life on the reservation where he first started his bead and quill work 35 years ago.  While most of his pieces are proudly displayed in private collections, a few are on public display in The Minnesota Historical Society, The Plaines Art Museum and The Smithsonian Institute.  Melvin is one of only a handful of artists in the U.S. today specializing in quill basket design.

Quill baskets were first conceived of by a woman of the Mi’kmaq Tribe from Maine and Nova Scotia in a dream.  The dream told her how to combine the birch bark, sweet grass and died porcupine quills into elegant display baskets.  Each of the three components is either hand died and/or harvested.  No two quill baskets are alike.  The baskets first became popular in England during the 1800’s for storage of precious jewelry.  Today, Mel’s floral designs, including his trademark lady bug, are his favorite.