A fine Kiowa beaded cradleA fine Kiowa beaded cradleWith fully beaded hood showing abstract outlined devices on a white ground, further adorned with silver bead drops, the top of the cowl suspending beaded tabs and a miniature shield with cover, ochre pigment and dewclaw drop accents, the bib above the cowl with applique designs, mounted on a wood frame. length 41 1/4in, width 12 1/2inExhibitedPreviously on long-term loan and display at the Museum of the Red River, Idabel, OK, and further included in the Museum's exhibition Native American Cradles, February 13 - April 14, 2019.For a thorough review of the history of Kiowa cradles and the evolution of their decorative styles, see Hail, Barbara A., editor, Gifts of Pride and Love: Kiowa and Comanche Cradles, 2000, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University, Bristol, RI.On page 15, an entry by Kiowa writer M. Scott Momaday speaks of the inspiration for elaborate cradles as exemplified by the present lot:"The Kiowas and Comanches had always loved their children above all else. From the dim beginnings, it was understood that their way of life, predicated upon migration, hunting and a warrior ideal, was always in the keeping of their children, one generation at a time. So long as their children came into the world, survival was a prospect, no matter how fragile it might be. The women began to make cradles, not so much for the sake of utility, but in thanksgiving and hope for the children, that they might live full lives and carry the blood of their ancestry beyond the moment in which extinction seemed almost imminent. They made the cradles with profound love and faith, and they placed in them the whole strength and beauty of their spirit.When you look closely at such a thing, you behold the sacred, and you come away with the gift of a great blessing."