Cradle Making

The Sew Much More camera crew visits Kiowa artist Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings, who works with nimble hands to keep the art of cradle making alive. Designed to hold infants, the cradles were popular with the nomadic Plains Indian tribes.

Today, the cradles are coveted works of historic art. Once the cradleboard is assembled of wood and leather or broadcloth, Jennings uses very tiny beads to bead the board in a colorful pattern representative of her family's heritage. She then stitches on other significant embellishments, such as brass hawk bells, glass tile beads and sequins. Jennings' work is currently on exhibit along with many antique cradles at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. We will hear about this historic art, see how it's done, and learn how Jennings is inspiring a new generation of needle artists to carry on the tradition.

Resources
Kiowa Cradleboard Maker: The Art and Tradition of Vanessa Jennings video
Written Heritage Inc.
Folsom, LA
Phone: 985-796-5433
Toll Free Phone: 800-301-8009
Email: whiswind@i-55.com
Website: www.writtenheritage.com
Guests
Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings
Kiowa artist
Route 1, Box 492
Fort Cobb, OK 73038
Email: nesha_j@hotmail.com
Also in this Episode

Sew Much More : Episode SMM-105
•	Infant Basket Bedding
•	Cradle Making