Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-09-29
THE COCOON CRADLE
MODE OF WRAPPING UP THE LITTLE
REDskIN PAPoosE.
Bead Bedecked Buckslsin Bag In
Which the Indian Baby Bunting
Grows and Thrives-origin of This
Queer Cramped Cradle.

Grows and Thrives-Origin of This
Queer Cramped Cradle.
Fancy a tiny copper colored papoose
buckled up snugly in a queer buckskin
bag that resembles nothing in nature
so much as the coy cocoon cradle of
baby butterfly and then draw upon
your imagination still further, pictur-
ing this odd receptacle swinging from
the leafy canopy of an Indian wickiup
or brush arbor, and you have before
you an Indian baby and his wonderful
cradle.
Gorgeous yellow butterflies and
brown Kiowa babies are seldom linked
together in song or story, yet in real
life their wrappings while in the chrys-
ais state bear remarkable resem-
blance to each other.
The cocoon cradle proper and Its
various notifications as found among
the different tribes Of North American
Indians are constructed from the skins
of animals. And right here we may
pause and trace the origin Of another
famous nursery rhyme to the Indian
cocoon cradle, for did not the father
of Baby Bunting go a-hunting to get
little rabbits skin to wrap that myth
tcal baby in? All full blood Kiowa
babies are born into the pho-li-yo-ye,
or rabbit circle, and are taught to
dance in the mysterious circle Of rab-
bits as soon as they learn to toddle,
belonging to the rabbit order of the
kiowa soldiery.
Hence a rabbit skin would be very
appropriate wrapping for a Kiowa
Baby Bunting, though neither large
enough nor strong enough for his era
die. The red deer of the forest, quarry
Of the redskinned hunter, gives Of his
beautiful covering to make the cradle
that is to swing from the tree top, lit
orally tree tops cut from the cotton
woods and elms that fringe the clear
little streams ripping through the
Kiowa reservation and piled high on
framework of poles to serve as sum
mer parlor'' in front of his fathers
tepee.
The crude deer hide is carefully
dressed by tedious and secret process
known only to these Indians, and when
finished is as soft and plant as the
most expensive channels skin. Then
loving fingers skillfully embroider with
quilts beautiful beadwork designs up
on the delicately tinted deersl1in. Kio-
wa cradles are more ornamental than
those Of other tribes, and Kiowa
squaws excel in that marvellous Indian
beadwork now the popular fad Of their
paleface sisters. Some of this bead
work embroidery is not only very beau
tiful, but very elaborate. The Sioux
squaws, who alone rival their Kiowa
sisters, ornament the cradles Of their
little ones with bands Of deerskin. up
on which are wrought in colored beads
gorgeous patterns of men, horses. birds,
fish and flowers. Instead of wooden
framework they substitute basket
work frame of reeds and sometimes
they use seed and grasses instead of
beads.
The Cheyenne, Apache and Conan
che Indians all use cocoon cradles pat
termed after the Kiowa cradles, but
theirs are not ornamental as elabo-
rately as those Of the Kiowas. In
truth, the grim and warlike Comanche
of the plains wastes very little time in
decorating the receptacle Of his Off
spring. A stout piece Of deerskin, fas-
tened to an equally stout wooden frame
and laced up securely with rawhide
thongs. sutlices his.simple need.
The origin of the cocoon cradle Itself,
like that Of the redskins, seems wrap
ped in mystery, though we might with
reason trace this primitive cradle back
to the Lapps Of northern Europe, whose
babies sleep in little followed out af-
fairs swung down from the lower
limbs of trees. They are lined with
moss and laced up, and in shape are
exactly like the primitive Indian Co
coon cradle from which the modern
cocoon cradle, beautified and improved,
has been evolved.
After the beadwork embroidery is
completed the deerskin pouch or bag
is fastened securely upon strong
board whose two upright handles, pro-
JGClluS uDONC luG ucuuUleCt VI uOOUs
are strengthened by a crosspiece at the
back. These handles are very con-
venient when the mother is busy about
her many tasks; If it be warm weather,
baby is swung from the top Of the
brush arbor, his round, brown face
peering smilingly from out its trap
pings Of gayly beaded deerskin, his
bright little eyes blinking at the sun
beams shining through the leafy roof.
or the flames of the nightly campfire
leaping up to mingle with the moon
light. When trading" at the agency
stores, the squaw props the cradle.
baby and ALL" against the counter
and goes calmly about the important
business Of laying in supply for her
family in their tepee far out on the
reservation.
Mother love fills the heart Of poor
squaw as completely as it does that
of her more fortunate paleface sister.
Her clumsy fingers fashion playthings
Of shells, odd shaped bones, carved
Hunndnp hoadS hrSrb< rtooo, 80 A.