At Ancient Ways Revealed, we offer a rich tapestry of content that delves into the heritage and traditions of the Southwest. Our categories are designed to guide you through our extensive archives, longform chapters, and insightful ritual studies.
Each category represents a unique aspect of our mission to uncover and share the wisdom of ancient practices and cultural narratives. Whether you are interested in historical accounts, ritualistic traditions, or the vibrant heritage of the Southwest, we have something for everyone.
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- Longform Chapters: In-depth explorations of significant topics.
- Ritual Studies: Insights into the practices that shape cultural identities.
- Southwest Archives: A collection of resources that highlight the region's rich history.
Join us on this journey to reveal the ancient ways that continue to influence our lives today.
Carrying the Next Generation: Baby Carriers and Bags in Southwestern Tradition
The title of this page points to a very modern object, the backpack-style diaper bag, but the question behind it is old: how do parents keep an infant close while carrying everything a small child needs? Long before zippered compartments and insulated bottle pockets, families across the Southwest solved the same problem with materials they could gather, weave and shape by hand.
One of the best-known examples is the cradleboard. Many Indigenous communities of the region, including Navajo (Diné) and Apache families, have used cradleboards for generations. A rigid frame of wood holds the baby securely, often with a protective hoop or bow arching over the head to shade the face and guard against bumps. The board could be carried on the back, propped upright against a wall or tree, or hung where a working parent could keep watch. Makers often treat the cradleboard as more than a tool. It can carry family meaning, be made by a relative, and be associated with prayers for a child's healthy growth.
Alongside carriers came the bags and baskets that held everything else. Woven yucca and willow baskets, hide pouches and, later, woven wool bags carried food, water gourds and soft padding. Absorbent natural materials such as shredded juniper or cliffrose bark have been documented in archaeological and ethnographic accounts as padding for infants, an early answer to the problem modern diaper bags exist to manage.
What the old designs still teach
- Hands free matters. Back carrying freed parents for farming, gathering and travel, the same reason backpack-style bags are popular today.
- Weight belongs close to the body. Traditional carriers kept loads centred and high on the back, which is still good advice when packing any bag.
- Durability is a virtue. Cradleboards and baskets were often reused across siblings and generations.
If you are drawn to these traditions, our longform chapters and the Southwest archives explore material culture and family life in more depth. Museum collections in Santa Fe also display historic cradleboards and woven bags. When viewing them, remember that many are living cultural objects, so follow any guidance a museum or community offers about how they are discussed and photographed.
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