The Development of the Navajo Rug and Blanket
Navajo rugs and weavings have gone through an evolution, the earlier weavings were influenced by legends and represented meaningful events in their lives. The contemporary weavings are more about designs, and demands for the Navajo rug. By taking a look at specific historical events between 1700 and 1900, the reader can discover how this evolution unfolded. Throughout history, the rugs maintained their artistic value, however the intent for their creation was quite different. (meaningful events and legends vs. a growing rug market) These rugs are a very priceless work of art, that have many meanings and an extraordinary amount of time put into them.
According to history Navajo rugs first surfaced in the early 1700’s, by one of two ways. The first most known way is by the Hopi people. They were the first settlers, and are our distant ancestors, that came about weaving in the Southwest for the first time. Instead of using wool as we see now, they used cotton to make their clothes, blankets, and rugs. Dedera said, “Where they (the Puebloans) learned to cultivate cotton, and spin and weave it, is more than we can say, but it is perfectly plain to archaeologists who find cotton blankets buried with their dead that they were at it at least a thousand years ago and have kept at it down to this day.” (Dedera, 7) The Navajo people do not have any weaving dated beyond the early 1700’s, so this shows that the Navajo people learned to weave by the influence of the Hopi. Most Navajos do not agree with this assumption, but scientific evidence proves that these people did not have the will-power to weave. The Navajo believe what we call a legend of weaving.
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...ate there beliefs and knowledge. Their persistence to keep a tradition alive was and is very strong. Being able to learn from the ancestors of the land, and some of their pride and joy that has become apart of them. From any point of view on how these rugs became so popular, it all ends at the same place, a piece of art that has taken many many many years to develop.
Bibliography
Bloomberg, Nancy J. Navajo Textiles: The William Randolph Hearst Collection: The University of Arizona Press. 1988.
Dedera, Don. Navajo Rugs, how to Find, Evaluate, Buy and Care for Them: Northland Press. 1975.
Dutton, Betha P. Navajo Weaving Today: Museum of New Mexico Press. 1961.
Kent, Kate Peck. The Story of Navajo Weaving: McGrew Printing and Lithographing Co. 1961.
Allen, Paula Gunn. Grandmother of the Sun: Ritual Gynocracy in Native America: Page 12.
Weisiger begins by discussing the debate about the Stock Reduction Program from 1933-1934. She goes on then to detail the importance of livestock to Navajo cultural identity and way of life. Weisiger writes, “Dine knew nature not only through their connections with the physical environment but also To begin, it ties into a popular belief of Michael Pollans, that we “Should eat more like our Great-Grandmothers”. This belief ties into Dreaming of Sheep in Navajo Country because both books have an understanding that we should eat from scratch and have some sort of self-sufficiency when preparing our meals. Another study that this books falls into is the importance of agricultural knowledge.
John Farella. The Main Stalk: A synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Navajo Religion. (Tuschon: University of Arizona Press, 1984)
Wheelwright, M. (1942). Navajo Creation Myth. Navajo Religion Series, Vol. 1. Santa Fe: Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art.
Navajo, Copy of Spanish Cape as earrings, Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum, Santa Ana, California
The National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi party, originated during the 1920s. Formerly, the Nazi Party’s main purpose was to abolish communism. However, ...
The people who supported the Nazis and when are various groups between 1919 - 1924. These groups were people of nobility, business and Lutheran in 1927. The Nazi's supported were during the period of turmoil from 1919 - 1924 due to the unstable government and Constitution. The political system as a whole was suffering from inflation starting prior to the Great Depression in 1919 until September 1923. What has caused the financial system to have such turmoil was the abuse from the cabinet members and the enormous confusion over the reparation payments from World War I. There were also uprisings in the North, South and at Ruhr. An attempt for a Kapp Putch by the Freikorps through the SPD. As a result of the Kapp Putch the National Socialist German Workers Party was formed comprised of the middle class. "Nazism was not a monolithic movement, but rather a (mainly German) combination of various ideologies and groups, sparked by anger at the Treaty of Versailles and what was considered to have been a Jewish/Communist conspiracy (known in the vernacular as the Dolchstoßlegende or “Stab-in-the-Back Legend”) to humiliate Germany at the end of the First World War." (Nazism, 2008-2009)
Kent, Kate Peck. "A Comparison of Prehistoric and Modern Pueblo Weaving." The Kiva. New York: New York Press, 1986.
The marriage practices for the Navajo Indians are very unique. The bride must be bought with horses, sheep, or other valuable items. What many Navajo Indians used to use in the 40’s were love potions. These love potions include many plants and herbs in them, and were used to make someone fall in love with someone else. In many traditions for Navajo weddings they used a lot of plants and herbs. After the wedding ceremony they would have a big feast. The main food at the feast was always corn.
The rise of National Socialism in post-WWI Germany is an understandable reaction to the problems of the Versailles Peace Treaty, considering the German attitudes and beliefs at the time. These attitudes and beliefs were the result of generations of Prussian militarism, extreme racist nationalism, and, most importantly, the failure of the Treaty of Versailles signed in June of 1919. The rise of the Nazi party, and their extremist National Socialist doctrine appealed directly to these attitudes and beliefs that permeated Germany society after the first World War.
It is thought that the Navajo Indians may have gotten some of their rituals and agricultural knowledge from the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande area. This may be in part because of the fact that there are at least 160 documented similarities between the two Indian nations. These include murals that appear on kiva walls, sand paintings, the use of colors that are symbolic, prayer sticks, and other ceremonial similarities(Griffin-pierce 1955:13).
The Tohono O’odham tribe has been weaving baskets for at least 2000 years. Although the reason for weaving has changed through the years the Tohono O’odham are still using the same weaving styles as their ancestors. Basket weaving for the Tohono O’odham has gone from an everyday essential to a prestigious art form. Basket weaving for the Tohono O’odham represents an active way of preserving their culture, valuing traditions, and creating bonding ties within the tribe; consequently weaving has transcended into an economic resource.
Kirk, Sylvia. Many tender ties: women in fur-trade society, 1670-1870. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 19831980.
The way that Tapahonso describes the whole ordeal in detail is critical in describing the events in the poem but also in the format of oral story-telling. The author is telling a story to a daughter. A story that must have been passed down for generations and for generations to come. It is a important story that must be told because it explains the history of the Navajos and how the use of turquoise become a part of the traditional regalia. The story also tells how Navajo fry-bread become famous and is now considered a traditional food for all native tribes. Tapahonso gives strength and hope in 1864 to the younger generation by giving them education of their history.
A majority of southeastern art was lost when they were removed from their homes and moved onto reservations. It is through portable objects that were collected or bought by westerners that southeastern art survives. The main example this paper will be drawing from is a bandouliere bag titled only as Shoulder Bag made by the Cherokee people in the 1830s during the height of bandouliere bag production. It measures 20 x 23.5 cm and is currently held by the University of California in San Diego. A bandouliere bag is a bag that is worn crossbody with a large panel and a small pocket. The beadwork typically covers the strap as well as the front panel. Depending on the region the strap ends with different fringes and shapes. Almost universally, the beading pattern across the strap changes into a similar but distinctly different pattern when it reaches the top of the arch and travels back down. Most bag designs have a strong sense of balance but actively avoid symmetry. They also typically operate within a limited color pallet with certain colors being associated with different tribes. Although the most well known form for southeastern beadwork is the bandouliere bag, beadwork was also used in clothing such as belts and beaded panels. In some regions such as the Great Lakes bandouliere bags became objects to display artfully designed beadwork and lost their function as a
...2. Between the July and November elections the Nazi party lost 34 seats. However the implementation of Schleicher, to attract trade unionists and members of the NSDAP, only succeeded in making Hitler’s position in the Nazi party stronger. This was because Schleicher’s ‘policy of diagonal’ only attracted Strasser, for which he was ousted from the Nazi party. This was Hitler’s main opponent in the quest for leadership of the nazi party.