Four Winds Gallery
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Fetishes - Objects with Magic Properties
The Beauty of Turquoise
North American Plains Indian Beadwork
The Photography of Edward Sheriff Curtis
Collecting Indian Jewellery
Regional Style Navajo Rugs
Regional Style Navajo Rugs
AMANDA LONERAGAN - Four Winds Gallery
Navajo women in the south-western region of the United States have woven textiles on an upright loom for 300 years. Anthropologists believe that Navajo weaving developed from the skills of their Pueblo neighbours and Spanish colonists during the late 1600s. Others believe the Navajo were introduced to weaving much earlier, possibly by tribes they encountered during their migration south Navajo oral history pays tribute to a far superior influence. According to folklore, when Changing Woman visited the underground home of Spider Woman she witnessed in awe her host’s loom. The cross poles were made from the sky and earth, the warp sticks from sunrays, and the heddles from rock crystal and lightning. When Spider Woman wove she used a batten stick of sun halo and a comb of white shell. When Changing Woman left the chamber of Spider Woman she took the knowledge of weaving with her, and in turn passed the legacy onto the Navajo women.
By 1706 Spanish writers described the Navajo as fine weavers, and 100 years later they were reputed to be the best in the province. During the Classic Period (1840-1863) of Navajo weaving, design became increasingly more sophisticated with crosses, zigzags, wavy lines, diamonds, squares, rectangles and hexagons seemingly being influenced by the motifs found on basketry and pottery of the region. With increased exposure to outside influences, especially since the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1822, the experimentation with design flourished and Navajo weaving evolved into a significant industry.
The Transitional Period of Navajo weaving is dated between 1864 and 1890. This era had a violent initiation in 1864 when the United States Government sent the military to destroy Navajo crops, livestock and homes and to march the Navajo to a place of internment at Bosque Redondo in central New Mexico. During their close confinement with soldiers and their families, the Navajo, unable to obtain their native wools, turned to the more colourful commercial machine-made yarns provided by the Government. The availability of bright colours accelerated innovations in design of Navajo weavings.
The Navajo were allowed to return to their homelands, now an established reservation, in 1869. Trading Posts licensed by the government were set up to provide food and supplies, and the arrival of the railroad in 1880-81 provided an even greater range of manufactured goods. During the 1870s Navajo weavers moved away from their more traditional designs, becoming more influenced by the tastes of the Anglo-American traders and their patrons. The most significant change was the transition of their weavings from blanket to rug, although initially they were still used to wrap around the shoulders. Weavers also experimented with the new weaving materials available to them, often using them in preference to wool from their own sheep and natural dyes. The most popular of the commercial yarns were from Germantown, Pennsylvania and also available were inexpensive aniline dyes. One result was an innovative explosion of colour often using red, orange, purple, green and yellow next to each other in a zigzag pattern, producing a weaving referred to as an ‘eyedazzler’. Believed to be a Navajo creation, they were initially discouraged by traders as they were considered gaudy. In the early 1890s a number of traders encouraged the Navajos to stop using commercial yarns and return to using wool from their own sheep. Little weaving was done for their private use, with the majority of rugs being produced for the tourist trade. Weavers were encouraged to work in larger and heavier weaves and to incorporate borders in their designs. The two most notable traders on the reservation were Lorenzo Hubble of Ganado district and T B Moore of Crystal district. Both men developed their own distinctive styles of rug patterns and insisted on fine quality work. This was the beginning of regional designs – the Regional Period of Navajo weaving is dated from 1890 to 1920. The principal Navajo weaving districts within the reservation are:
Ganado/Klagetoh, which are the most familiar weavings. They are simple in design and noted for their brilliant dark red character due to Hubble’s encouraging the use of double strength red dye. Black borders and the use of crosses, diamonds and stars are common characteristics. Klagetoh rugs are similar, with a greater use of vegetal dyes.
Crystal/Chinle, considered to be some of the finest weavings available, were far more controlled by the traders’ designs. One ancient design which was popular on these rugs was the swastika. Now controversial for its modern association with Hitler, it was only used for a short period. Featuring vegetal dyes in brown, orange and yellow shades, the designs are usually banded in straight unbroken patterns.
Storm/Western Reservation rugs are very strong in colour with red, black, grey and white dominating. Usually distinguished by zigzag lines and other storm-related symbols, they are more traditional.
Wide Ruin/Pine Springs/Burntwater is the prime vegetal dye region, emphasising pastel colours and making use of banded, unbordered designs.
Two Grey Hills is said to produce the most expensive and finely woven rugs. They are well known for their combinations of greys, beiges and rich medium browns as well as black and white. Usually the four corners of the main field are emphasised and a large geometric central pattern is featured with a multiple border around the edge.
Teec Nos Pos rugs have the most complicated and complex designs, with the most typical having a strong outline and busy diagonals. In appearance they are more like Oriental rugs. The interior designs are not standard, using commercial colours and yams.
Pictorials appeared around 1900. Notably from the Shiprock/Red Rock region of Navajo land, the Yei ‘holy’ figures and ritual sand painting designs appeared. Weavers also began to weave images and scenes from their surroundings, leading to more folk art designs.
Textile weavings of the Navajo have achieved international recognition for more than a century. They have evolved from a worn blanket to a floor covering and finally to a feature of distinction on the walls of museums, galleries and private residences. The Navajos ability to develop and refine an age-old craft into a unique and distinguished art is indicative of the flexibility and adaptability of their entire culture. The history of Navajo weaving and its transitions is synonymous with the history of the last 300 years of Navajo culture.
References
Steve Getzwiller, The Fine Art of Navajo Weaving, Ray Manley Publications, Tucson Arizona, 1984.
Gilbert Maxwell, Navajo Rugs: Past, Present and Future, South West Images, Santa Fe, 1992.
Marian Rodee, Old Navajo Rugs: Their Development from 1900 to 1940, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1987.
Marian Rodee, One Hundred Years of Navajo Rugs, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1995.
