Cradleboards are a traditional Native American method mothers used to safely carry their infants in a way that allowed them to freely use their hands. Children are tightly swaddled to feel secure and fuss less and cradleboards help cultivate good posture. Cradleboards can show kinship and be passed through communities as gifts.

This beautiful cradleboard was made by Biskakone Greg Johnson and Alexandria Sulainis of Lac du Flambeau for their son, Baswewe.

The following sentences were written at the 15th Annual Language and Culture Camp in Manistee, Michigan for a workshop led by Judy Pamp.

Cradleboard Project-1

1.	Apane igo	ogii-inaabajitoonaawaan	dakonaaganan	Anishinaabeg.
	Always	(in the past) they used	the holding things	Anishinaabe people.
	The people have always used cradleboards.

Cradleboard Project-2

2.	Bebakaan	igo	gemaa	daa-ezhi-ozhitoonaawaan	dakonaaganan.
	Different	very	maybe	they would make them	cradleboards.
	Cradleboards could be made in many different ways.

Cradleboard Project-3

3.	Mii	gaa-	ezhichigewaad	Anishinaabeg	minogi’aawaad	abinoojiinyensan
	So	this	they did	the people	to raise them well	the babies.
	This is what they people did to raise a baby well.

Cradleboard Project-4

4.	Dakonaaganing	abinoojiinyensan	babaamiwizh’aawaad.
	In the cradleboard	babies	are carried around by them.
	They carried the babies around in the cradleboard.

Cradleboard Project-5

5.	Gaye	gaa-ezhichigewaad	mii	wii-noondaagenid,	waabanjigenid	miinawaa	ani-gikendaasonid	epiichi	zaagi’igaazonid
	Also	they did this	so	they will hear,	see,	and	learn	while	they are loved.
	This also was done so babies would see things, hear things and learn while being loved by someone.

Cradleboard Project-6

6.	Mii	gaa-	bi-	ezhi-	bimaadiziwaad.
	So	(past)	here	the way	they lived.
	So this is how they lived.

Cradleboard Project-7

7.	Abinoojiinyensan	gii-ganawenjigaazowan	epiichi	ayaanid	dakonaaganing.
	The baby	was cared for	while	being	in the cradleboard.
	The baby was cared for while in the cradleboard.

Cradleboard Project-8

8.	Mitigoonsan	ogii-	waaganaawaan	ji-dakonaaganikewaad.
	Sticks	(past)	they bent them	to make a cradleboard.
	They bent sticks to make a cradleboard.

Cradleboard Project-9

9.	Ogii-aabajitoonaawaan	asigobaan,	wiigwaas	miinawaa	giizhik	ji-dakonaaganikewaad.
	They used	basswood,	birchbark	and	cedar	to make the cradleboard.
	They used basswood, birchbark and cedar to make the cradleboard.

Cradleboard Project-10

10.	Nanigodinong	ogii-	mazinibiidoonaawaan.
	Sometimes	(past)	they decorated it.
	Sometimes they decorated it.

Cradleboard Project-11

11.	Niigaan-inaabiwan	ogaman	megwaa	abinoojiinyensan	azheyaa-inaabinid.
	Forward looking	the mother	while	the baby	backward looking.
	As the mother is looking forward, the baby is looking back.