Cradle board
The cradle board (English cradleboard ) is a carrying device for babies and was used especially by the Indians of North America . The cradle board was carried on the back, hung on the side of the horse, attached to poles in the tipi and wigwam or simply leaned upright somewhere. It was shaped like a rigid bag that only left the baby's head and sometimes arms free. The back of the cradle was padded behind the head and lined with feather down, moss, soft animal skins or cotton. Depending on the tribe, cradle boards were made of different materials and had different shapes. Cradle boards were kept in the family and used over and over again. They were considered sacred by some tribes. Often times the number of babies carried in it was carved as notches. Typically, a baby would stay in the crib for about a year or until he could walk. However, if the baby died, the cradle was often buried with him.
Many Asian peoples have similar child carriers. With the Sami , this cradle is called Komse .
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Ploß (1911), p. 277 and Fig. P. 278. Zglinicki (1979), fig. 151, also: keyword "Komse".
literature
- Bruce G. Trigger (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Vol. 15. Northeast . Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC 1978 ISBN 0-16-004575-4
- Hermann Heinrich Ploß. The child in habit and custom of nations. Ethnographic studies. Volume 1. 3rd edition Leipzig 1911.
- v. Zglinicki, Friedrich. The cradle. Folklore - cultural history - art history - medical history. A cradle typology with over 500 illustrations. Regensburg 1979 ISBN 3-7917-0622-5