Kiowa Cradleboard

The Kiowa-Apache tribe used this beaded cradleboard. The Kiowa-Apache tribe originally came from Texas, but now they are settled in some areas of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas. The beaded cradleboard was made of soft bedding of shredded bark or from crumpled grass. Over the bedding was fur that would be soft for enough for little babies. Sometimes the mother would hang items from the top of the cradleboard to aid the development of the infant's eyes (see hot spot). The babies would stay in the cradleboard until they were six to seven months old. Most women today don't usually use cradleboards anymore, but it is slowly coming back because people are learning how to make cradleboards

        --Fay, Marty Indian School