Acorns are also on the mind of Melody Williams (Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo). She created an art quilt which features dozens of them. She explains, “It started out as a challenge quilt from a guild I belong to… to do one or two things with a specific quilt block. It looked like a basket design to me, so I wanted to feature it as the main design element instead of putting it in the background. I filled the quilted  basket with acorns and created special features… the acorn caps are made out of miniature basket designs printed on fabric… to make the whole piece more Native.”
 
Melody explains more about the importance of acorns in her culture. “Acorns are really important to us,” she says. “I love acorn mush, even though it’s an acquired taste. I especially wanted to honor that on the quilt. We have harvested acorns and other wild foods from the beginning, because that cultural knowledge was passed down to us. It’s something we do together… we have always been hunters and gatherers. We gather our food as opposed to growing it, but we still have to work together to look for what we need and want. It’s our way of life. When it’s bountiful we celebrate.”