Native American Birthing Traditions p.2

"Once the child was born the umbilical cord was cut and tied off. It took about a week or so before that little piece fell off of the belly and that piece was kept to put into the umbilical cord pouch. It was kept for good luck and good health, like a good luck charm for that child. It belonged only to that child. When that person passed away, it was buried right along with them. It was something that was a tie between the mother and the family and the tribe as a whole ."—Maynard WhiteOwl Lavadour

"When a child is born there was a special little purse made for the belly button. I made these purses for all of my children. I didn’t make them all the same. Some of them had a lot of beads on them, and some of them had less beads. The purpose of this purse is so the children won’t be foolish when they grow up."—Sophie George