Zia Pueblo Wood Child’s Cradleboard [R]

Pueblo children are wrapped snugly in cradleboards such as this one.  It may appear to non-Indians as uncomfortable however it is not so to the infant who rarely is heard to cry or squirm when secured in such a cradleboard.  The infant is wrapped in a blanket and secured in the cradleboard with the traditional red sashes or with rawhide strips laced over the child.  The framework over the infant's head is used to support a cover to protect it from the sun or for additional warmth. 

Cradleboards are said to be made ritually but no published data supports this.  Their use today is less frequent than in the past as Government doctors and nurses tend to discourage the practice.  This could be because prolonged use of a cradleboard tends to flatten the back of the baby's head.

There is an excellent book on Zia Pueblo which is highly recommended.  It was published originally as a Bureau of Ethnology Report in 1962 and then republished by Calvin Horn Publishers, Albuquerque, in 1974.  Although it is out of print, it is frequently available on-line.  The reprint title is Zia the Sun Symbol Pueblo, Indian Classics Series, Volume 3, by Leslie A. White.

Condition: The cradleboard is in original excellent condition.

Provenance: from a Zia Pueblo family