June 27, 2010

The Navajo are a terribly proud individuals that are skilled Artisans in the world of Textiles. Numerous generations have learned the traditional tradition of how to spin the wool by hand and it’s passed down from 1 generation to the next. During this article I will share with you a fraction of what I know, on a way to identify the various time periods of Navajo rugs and blankets weaving plus things to go looking for. 

“The Navajo or Dine are an Athabascan people who migrated to the Southwest from western Canada sometime between 1300 plus 1500 AD. Once they arrived, a holy person named Spider Woman taught the Dine the way to weave.” From this time on, the Navajo specialised in refined pattern work plus a rich History of symbols which depict every day life. With the identification of Navajo rug weaving experts have identified that there are four alternative time periods [that the] rugs can be classified into. Knowing the way to identify the periods will assist you be familiar with what you are buying. They are: Classic Amount, 1650 – 1868, Late Classic Period, 1865 –1880, Transitional Period, 1868 – 1895, Rug Amount, 1895 – Present. 

The Classic Period, 1650 – 1868, can be identified with these kinds of pattern works:” Weavers drew their colours primarily from the natural wool, ranging from white to dark brown. Indigo, a non-native, deep blue plant dye, was being imported by the Spanish when the Navajo started weaving, and was accessible to them through trade. In addition, Navajo weavers created yellow dyes from native plants, and generally combined them with indigo to create green. By the late 1700s, Navajo weavers had access to a deep red color which came in the shape of imported woolen cloth known as bayeta (or “baize,” in English.) Weavers actually unraveled the fabric and re-spun the yarns, giving this fiber the fashionable name, “raveled red.” 

Throughout the Classic Period, the Navajo created three types of longer than wide serape style blankets. The Moqui (Moki) pattern consisted of alternating stripes of indigo plus natural brown, often separated by slim white stripes. Early traders thought the Hopi made these blankets, hence they were named Moqui, the Spanish word for the Hopi people. Serapes made from loosely spun plus coarsely woven wool were called diyugi meaning “fluffy weave.” Diyugi featured natural brown and white stripes, typically embellished with slim beaded, wavy, or checkerboard stripes. Navajo rugs, Navajo blankets, American indian rugs, American Indian blankets, Native American rugs, Native American blankets, Navajo textiles, chiefs blanket, saddle blanket, classic blanket, Klagetoh, Ganado, 2 gray hills, Chinle, Burnt Water, Wide Ruins, Tec Nos Pos, Red mesa, Navajo rugs for sale, purchasing Navajo rugs, Crystal, storm pattern, Hubbell trading post, Childs blanket, Transitional blankets, Moki, Germantown blankets.”