Minneapolis Institute of Art

Cradle Cover

Lakȟóta artist

Date

c. 1885

Medium

Leather, glass beads, canvas, tin bells

Culture

Lakȟóta

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Throughout the Plains and Great Lakes regions, Native families used to shelter their babies in cradleboards, which combined the functions of backpack and infant seat. With the baby wrapped snugly inside, the cradleboard could be tied to the mother's shoulders or propped nearby while the family worked, ate, or socialized. Often the beautiful covers were made by female relatives of the mother, and a woman might receive several as baby gifts. Lakȟóta, United States, Americas

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