Native American Cradleboard w/ Bent Willow Bow & Calico Cover

Native American, likely Southwest or Great Basin. A cradleboard built for an actual infant rather than a shelf, its elongated boat-shaped body rising from a rigid foundation, lined in heavy canvas and sheathed over that in quilted pale blue calico scattered with small green and violet sprigs. A slender peeled willow rod, bent into a high arc and lashed at each side with hide thong and cord, springs above the head end to carry a sunshade and shield the child's face. The interior is padded and softly lined, the side walls stitched so they fold protectively inward, and ties along the rim once anchored the wrapping bands that held the baby snug. Cradles of this construction were made and used deep into the twentieth century, marrying traditional bentwood technique with commercial trade cotton from the nearest trading post. The bent hoop above the head is the diagnostic element of the Southwestern and Great Basin cradle: it holds a cloth or hide sunshade clear of the infant's face, deflects branches and rain, and absorbs the impact should the cradle tip forward. Among Apache, Navajo, Ute, and Paiute makers the form persisted long after commercial baby goods were available, because a cradleboard could be propped upright, hung from a saddle horn or a tree limb, and carried on the back while leaving both hands free. Printed cotton yardage and canvas replaced buckskin covers by the early twentieth century without altering the underlying frame-and-bow architecture. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 180690

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