Baby Carrier

May Yang of Sheboygan, Wisconsin
with her son John Lee who is carried in a traditional Hmong baby carrier, 1981
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Permanent Collection

The long cloth straps of Hmong baby carriers are designed to wrap around the mother to hold the baby in place. Carriers are given to brides by their mothers to promote the birth of many children. According to Hmong tradition, a person's soul wanders off when his or her body becomes ill. In order to protect a baby's soul, which is considered more prone to wandering, the baby carrier is designed with protective features. The tufts of yarn are meant to disguise the carrier and baby as a flower, preventing disturbance of the infant's soul by evil spirits.