Lakota Cradleboard

A Lakota cradle consists of three parts: the main piece that forms the sides and top, the tab at the top, and the back of the cradle. When the cradle is being used, it can stand vertically due to the weight of the baby's head. Lakota cradles rarely have a framework of boards to which they are attached. Instead, the complete cradle is constructed of buckskin.
Lakota cradleboards served many purposes. They served as childcare tools, kept babies warm and safe, were used as art and cultural objects identifying the maker and user as Lakota, as gifts to strengthen the relationship between one woman and another, and as status symbols.
The father's sister was expected to make his first born a completely quilled (and later beaded) cradleboard.
Cradle in Lakota Sioux language: chuwič inpa

Side-facing view of the cradle.