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fawn skin cradleboard blanket

Copyright Minnesota Historical Society Collections

Description:
This cradleboard blanket made from a fawn skin with the hair retained. The hide is backed with blue-gray cotton, and the edges are bound with an olive-green fabric. On the hair side three individual spot-stitched beadwork pieces are attached, one each at the top corners & center. This cradleboard cover or blanket was originally associated with cradleboard 10000.90. Once the wood frame is made, the cradle may be lined with tanned deer hide and various animal skins such as fawn and rabbit, as well as moss. Pieces of buckskin, velvet and other materials are used to bind the baby in place. This keeps the child still so s/he can watch and learn from his mother about the Ojibwe way of life.
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