Elder Navajo Woman Making a Rug
Item
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Title
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Elder Navajo Woman Making a Rug
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Type
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Image
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Spatial Coverage
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Arizona
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Creator
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Keystone View Company
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Date
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1927
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Format
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Jpeg
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Identifier
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23344
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Source
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Val Berryman Stereoview Collection, Michigan State University Museum
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transcript of
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Original Keystone View Company caption, published on the back of this image:
"The chief occupation of the Navajo woman is carding and spinning wool, and weaving it into blankets which are widely known for their excellence. Some of the old Navajo weaves seen in museums and private collections are almost priceless. They are practically indestructible, and will hold water, so closely are they woven. The old blankets are absolutely all wool, both warp and woof. The tourist trade has helped to ruin the ideals of this, as of other native industries; nowadays the warp is often cotton twine, while the weave is much looser, and the blanket will not hold water. The soft colors of the native vegetable dyes of old days have also given way to the cruder hues of dyes obtained from the trading post.
The most highly prized rugs of all are made from "bayeta", a very fine cloth first imported from the Spaniards. In later years, they are made from the shredded red cloth of British military uniforms. This is picked to pieces, respun and rewoven, and a blanket is made from it, which for color and texture, has never been surpassed.
The blanket patterns are literally numberless, and are chiefly of a highly conventionalized nature, representing such forms as mountains, mesas, wind, and so on. There are also many geometrical patterns in which the cross and diamond are conspicuous.
The Navajo loom is primitive, but quite practical, and is set up inside the "hogan," as shown in the picture, or, perhaps, under the shade of a large cotton tree, if one is near."
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Rights
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Public Domain
Keystone Primary Units, Stereographic and Lantern Slides, Indians of the Southwest
