Navel Amulet in the Form of a Lizard

Several Native American nations observed the tradition of navel amulets for infants. Part of a newborn’s umbilical cord was sewn into the amulet, which acted as a prayer for long life, as a child’s first toy, and as a protective charm throughout life.

The amulet was made by a mother or aunt, prior to a baby’s birth. The pouch was constructed from animal skin (often buckskin) and decorated with beads. Encasing a dried piece of the newborn’s umbilical cord with milkweed and herbs inside the animal form protected it from harm, thus also protecting the child. The amulet would be placed around the child’s neck, or, more often, attached to the baby’s cradleboard as a toy.

The Lakota and Sioux tribes frequently made their amulets in the shape of turtles, possibly because turtles have long lives and are difficult to kill (because of their thick shells). By creating amulets in this shape, the maker symbolically transferred to the child the qualities of those animals.