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Apsáalooke (Crow) Native North American

Umbilical amulet, 1900s

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Apsáalooke (Crow)

Title

Umbilical amulet

Year

1900s

Medium

Leather; bead; tin; feather

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • feather,
  • leather,
  • tin

Dimensions

Length: 26.7 cm (10 1/2 inches)

Type

  • Material Culture

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

43.111

Collection

John G. Carter Collection, Montana

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Form, Pattern, and Function

December 4, 1992 - January 24, 1993

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Umbilical amulet with the accession number of 43.111. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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