Native American Babywearing: Gratitude for a Rich Cultural Tradition

To celebrate this year’s Native American Heritage Month, hope&plum explores the history of indigenous babywearing. Just like Latin American babywearing, many babywearing practices today can trace their roots to indigenous carriers. Let’s take a moment during this month to learn about and express gratitude for the rich babywearing traditions.

Perhaps the most recognized type of baby carrier used by indigenous North American tribes is the cradleboard or basket. “Native American cradleboards varied stylistically across North America and through time but were part of a long tradition where babies were encased in carriers covered with elaborate beadwork and embroidery” (Gordon, 2020). Cradleboards consisted of a hard frame made of wood or fiber and an attached basket-like structure to hold the baby. Worn from birth to about two years, the baby was tightly swaddled in as many layers as the climate dictated and then securely tied in to the cradleboard. Its rigid nature allowed for babywearing world-facing on their caregiver’s back or propped up against another sturdy object like a tree. “This allowed the child to socialize with the group, and be easily accessible, should it need feeding or changing” (Scher Thomae, 2010). Pictured above are members of the Apsáalooke tribe. Below are a babywearing Kiowa caregiver and an Atikamekw baby.

Cradleboards were a labor of love and were passed down from generation to generation within families and leant out to families in need who didn’t have their own. Below we see two styles, one from the Apache and the other from the Niuam.

Depending on the tribe, the adornments could have practical, spiritual, or symbolic intentions. The beautiful and unique cradleboard pictured below is from the Kootenai tribe.

Cradleboards were so common that their use is reflected in tribal dolls and toys. The first set are a Seneca family and the second is most likely from the Apache tribe.

It should be noted that while hope&plum discourages world-facing in general and would never recommend use of a modern carrier to world-face in a back carry, cradleboards were designed with this specific use in mind, were part of a rich cultural tradition, and were passed down in tight-knit communities with respected tribal members providing direct guidance and instruction on safe and comfortable use. In the picture below, you can see a cradleboard peeking over the shoulder of an Atikamekw girl and another one held in the background.

Another type of Native American baby carrier is a beaded belt or sling. In some tribes, like the Gwichyaa Gwich’in or the Cree, they were made frequently from animal hides, beads, and yarn. Along with other beadwork from family members and close friends, these beautiful belts welcomed the baby into the community.

Still other indigenous baby carriers are referred to as bags or baskets. First we see a very flexible and soft bag carrier from the Sioux tribe made from animal hides and cotton and adorned with beads.

Next is a more structured style from the Arikara tribe. While not mounted on a hard frame like a cradleboard, the bag carrier retained its structure and provided a warm and snuggly spot for a swaddled baby.

The last basket style carrier comes from the Akimel O'odham tribe. It is even more similar in appearance to a cradleboard, made with wood and cotton, and featuring a prominent basket.

In some of the northernmost parts of North America, the Inuit had special parkas called amautiit. These had large, soft hoods called amaut where babies would sit nestled against their mothers’ back until about two years of age. An amauti also had large shoulders so that babies could be discretely brought to the front for nursing while still staying safe and warm inside their mothers’ jackets.

They were made from caribou and seal hides and sometimes metal pendants, ivory toggles, and glass beads. The more ornate ones, like the example pictured above, were used for dances and celebrations, while a less adorned version was used for everyday activities.

While there are no direct correlations between the indigenous baby carriers featured in this article and hope&plum’s current carriers, we can still identify with the inherent need to hold our babies close and to keep them safe and warm. And we can appreciate the practicality of doing all of that while also being handsfree and taking care of business. Babywearing has a long and rich cultural history and will continue to help caregivers and their babies to bond for many years to come.

Gordon, B. (2020, August 7). Carrying and protecting little ones: Native american cradleboards. PieceWork. https://pieceworkmagazine.com/carrying-and-protecting-little-ones-native-american-cradleboards/

Scher Thomae, D. (2010). American indian cradles and cradleboards. Milwaukee Public Museum. https://www.mpm.edu/index.php/research-collections/anthropology/online-collections-research/american-indian-cradles-and

Check out  two more posts about traditional babywearing  in Latin America and China.