cradleboard

American  

[kreyd-l-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈkreɪd lˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

Or cradle board

noun

1. a wooden frame worn on the back, used by North American Indian women for carrying an infant.

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Etymology

Origin of cradleboard

First recorded in 1875–80; cradle + board

Example Sentences

A brightly colored cradleboard with a doll inside.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2023

The woman bears an empty cradleboard symbolizing the loss of her child, and she is reaching north with one arm, symbolizing the direction of the tribes’ retreat.

From Washington Times • Nov. 22, 2020

Family members told him that her cradleboard, a traditional way to carry babies, was made from the pine trees on the butte.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2018

They all got in—Mama in back to paddle and steer, Grandma up front taking turns with Angeline, who held Neewo in his cradleboard.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

My father used to tease me about it, saying that when I was born he made my cradleboard out of the handle of a wooden spoon.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac