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Unknown Maker, Native North American

Northern Plains Cradle wrap

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Native North American

Culture

Native North American, Sioux, Dakota

Title

Northern Plains Cradle wrap

Year

late 1800s-early 1900s

Medium

  • skin,
  • wool,
  • bead,
  • brass (alloy),
  • cotton

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • skin,
  • wool,
  • bead,
  • brass (alloy),
  • cotton

Materials

cotton, wool, brass (alloy), skin

Geography

Place Made: Great Plains

Dimensions

124.5 cm (49 inches) (length)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Henry D. Sharpe

Object Number

17.019

Type

  • Costume Accessories

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Form, Pattern, and Function
Design in American Indian Art
Dec 04, 1992 – Jan 24, 1993

Label copy

In many Plains Indian cultures after a child's birth its umbilical cord was dried and saved as a link between the child's life in the womb and after birth. The cord was sewn into a pouch, often in the shape of a turtle for a girl or a lizard for boy. This navel amulet became the baby's first toy and remained with the child as a charm to protect it and ensure a long life.

By taking the form of a turtle the navel amulet was imbued with its protective power. In many Plains Indian creation legends while the world was still covered with water, the first human life entered supported on the back of a turtle, when the first dry-land mass was created. Because of its important role in the creation of the world, the turtle is closely associated with "mother earth" and was thought to provide protection during birth and infancy. The symbol of the turtle was often used on objects related to childhood or women's clothing, as in the baby carrier exhibited in this case where the beaded design representing the turtle or the four corners of the earth is on either side of the hood. These soft carriers were used by some tribes of the Central Plains and were carried by the mother or could be attached to a stiff board for travel. The cloth skirting would wrap around the child and be secured with straps.

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Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Native North American
Northern Plains Cradle wrap, late 1800s-early 1900s
skin; wool; bead; brass (alloy); cotton
124.5 cm (49 inches) (length)
Gift of Henry D. Sharpe 17.019

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