“I want babies to feel radically loved,” says Dr. Alayna Eagle Shield (Lakota, Dakota, Arikara), the artist, health worker, educator, and activist who designed our Star Journey Swaddle Blankets. “In a way, we created these swaddles as a way to publicly celebrate and welcome babies here from their long journey across the stars. They are so loved.”
Alayna has decorated her Star Journey Swaddle Blankets with Dakota florals, geometric designs, and other elements that adorn the treasured items she and her partner have made for their own children, including cradleboards. “We began creating our first cradleboard in 2020, after we found out we were pregnant with our third baby,” shares Alayna. “We had a vision for the designs we wanted on the cradleboard—buffalo, tipis, stars, ancestors on horseback, and more.” Additional design inspiration for the swaddles came from a beaded bonnet Alayna and her partner made for their son. “We are creators through and through,” says Alayna. “We’re taught that you create beautiful works of art for people you love dearly and so we create for our children.”
This special set of Star Journey Swaddle Blankets has three cheerfully bright designs, including:
- Buffalo Dreams Swaddle Blanket—a candy-colored buffalo is surrounded by stars, while blooming flowers and geometric shapes with bright patterns float on a field of turquoise
- Ancestor Strength Swaddle Blanket—women in colorful dresses ride a herd of horses across orange plains, which is accented by geometric designs on a turquoise band
- Blooming Medicine Swaddle Blanket—a central flower grows straight and true, surrounded by stars and geometric patterns on a buttery-yellow background
Since making her first cradleboard, Alayna has taught cradleboard making classes to dozens of families, sharing traditional teachings with this generation of Native families. Now a mother of five, Alayna and her husband are raising their children to be cultural artists Native language learners rooted in their Native community. “They each inspire me as an artist,” says Alayna of her children.
These blankets are meant for every baby—Native and non-Native alike—to use and enjoy. “Our children are our inspiration. To be able to adorn them is so rewarding,” shares Alayna.
Eighth Generation's Swaddle Blankets were designed after important conversations Eighth Generation's team had with Native birthworkers and health experts at Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services and Native American Women's Dialogue on Infant Mortality (NAWDIM). Our Swaddle Blankets shine a critical light on the need for more equitable Native infant and mother healthcare and resources—read more the lifesaving work NAWDIM and Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services does to care for our babies, mothers, and community on our blog.
Product details:
- Pack of 3 swaddles, one of each design, designed by Alayna Eagle Shield (Lakota, Dakota, Arikara)
- Dimensions: 47 inches x 47 inches / 119 cm x 119 cm
- Fabric content: 100% organic cotton muslin
- Product care: machine wash normal, tumble dry warm, do not bleach
