Navajo baby in cradleboard [2]

Color photograph of Awéétsáál - Literally baby crate, holding a small boy. The curved bow at the top of the cradle board and one of the back boards is visible in this photograph. The fabric and configuration of the ties are also clearly visible. The cradle board provides many conveniences for the Navajo mother, as well as comfort and safety for the baby. In the hogan, the child is safe from the fire, usually burning on the earth floor directly beneath the smoke hole in the roof. On horseback trips to the trading post or distant hogans the baby sleeps comfortably, the cradle board balanced on the mothers' lap and the front of the saddle. A Navajo baby asleep in his cradle board, on the counter in the trading post is a common sight. A baby boy wrapped in a blue blanket in a cradle board.