Native American Umbilical Fetish – Lizard Amulet Of The Sioux, Plains Indians

The umbilical amulet, or umbilical fetish, is a traditional object of the American Indians.
This example is a stylized lizard superbly decorated with beads, intended for a newborn male. Remarkable leatherwork: dyed porcupine quills, deer leather with borders in Venetian trade beads sewn with tendons, fringes of dyed horsehair surrounded by porcupine quills and metal cones made from parts of cans.
Circa 1920-1930, by the Plains Indians: the Lakota Sioux.
Total length: 25 cm (with fringes).
From an old French collection.

The American Indians, captives of the reservations, sold or bartered their crafts to European travelers. The custom of the umbilical amulet, very developed in the Plains, Plateau and Forest tribes, consisted of keeping the umbilical cord which had become an "amulet"; dried and then wrapped in sage or grass, it was kept in a small deer skin case, very often decorated with beads. This amulet was attached to the cradle of the newborn, ensuring protection until adulthood, and was generally buried with its owner at the time of his death.
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Bibliography: Taylor Colin F. (1997) - Indian Traditions, the Daily Life of American Indians. At Nathan, 128 pages.