The Turtle Women From our Native American roots

     Lakota people believe that each child is very wakan (sacred). Each child has a spirit and we respect that spirit. The mother and child have a very strong connection. Traditionally at birth the first person that would touch your baby is whose characteristics the child would take on, and even a little of that person’s spirit would be transferred. The placenta would be kept and buried some place sate because that is a part of the mother and the child and it carries some of the spirit with it, and should be treated with that respect. This way the child and the child’s spirit will always know where their home is. The umbilical chord is also known to be the strongest connection between the mother and the child.

      Traditionally Lakota mother dry out the cord, and when it is ready the chord on the belly button of the baby falls off. The grandmother prepares a pouch shaped like a turtle; she decorates it with quill work, bead work or paint. The dried cord is placed inside the pouch with tobacco, sage, sweet grass, or cedar. This pouch is said to represent the child’s sacred spirit. It is said that as long as the turtle pouch is cared for and kept in a strong safe place the child will never be lost. The child will always have direction but never forget where they come from.