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.
One of the things I found was The clothes worn by the men included loincloths or short kilts which were made from a long rectangular piece of animal skin or cloth which was worn between the legs and tucked over a belt. The men started to wear cotton shirts and shorts, and a headband They wore moccasins made of soft leather. The type of clothes worn by the women of the Hopi tribe were cotton dresses called mantas which were fastened at a woman's right shoulder, leaving her left shoulder bare. Early women’s clothes included a dark blue woollen blanket that was fastened above the right shoulder and tied with a belt at the waist. When Hopi girls reach womanhood, their hair was dressed in two large whorls at the side of the head in a squash blossom.
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.
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.
The Hmong people are well known for their survival antics from their silent war with China and their migration from the Vietnam War. Hmong is a term many have never even heard of but their culture it is known as "free people." Hmong textiles has survived just like their whole culture. The attractive handcrafted designs have been in their history for over two centuries, and their embroideries are popular among the Asian countries as well as the United States. Hmong textiles includes a variety of embroideries on their Flower cloths, story cloths, and their New Year dress. All fabrics have powerful importance in their customs to bring prosperity and good fortunes. Needlework is a substantial skill in their community that can not be forgotten, symbolizing work ethics and preservation of their culture.
Wheelwright, M. (1942). Navajo Creation Myth. Navajo Religion Series, Vol. 1. Santa Fe: Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art.
John Farella. The Main Stalk: A synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Navajo Religion. (Tuschon: University of Arizona Press, 1984)
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 Navajo also made blankets which have simple geometric patterns. Notice how in Figure 4 the artist combined a solid center with rectangles and diamonds on the edge to represent the Navajo’s cultural emphasis on restrained aggressiveness and controlled movement (Parr, 2002). It is important for the Navajo to maintain a balance between static and active, and so they represented this the symmetric designs of their blankets as seen in Figure 5 (Parr, 2002).
Kirk, Sylvia. Many tender ties: women in fur-trade society, 1670-1870. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 19831980.
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, ...
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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.
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