When it comes to size, the larger the rug is, the longer it takes to weave. This will increase the price, the larger the rug is. The largest rugs can take up to three years to make. Given the extra hours put into making it, it will cost significantly more than a more common 4'x6′ rug. Antique rugs will cost more than modern ones, given their value has risen as a result of their rarity. However, even contemporary Navajo rugs can fetch upwards of several thousand dollars. This is because the number of Navajo weavers is diminishing every year. There is a great deal of time and discipline needed to create a rug.
Our family lived in the Church Rock area in the late 1970s. My parents purchased a few rugs at a trading post close to what is now known as "Legacy Park" from a Navajo family who weaved, raised sheep, and lived in a gon. I can still remember the mutton stew and fry bread. They are not named by my mother. I would be grateful if you could help me identify them. I have five.
To aid in Navajo rug ID, there are certain ones that can be identified by their distinctive colors, others by the bands of color and the designs within those bands, and certain others by their distinctive designs. The Ganadoand Klagetoh tend to have simpler designs than the similar Two Grey Hills, and Burntwater rugs. Ganado rugs always have a red background. The distinctivered color is often called a ‘Ganado Red.’ The design, based on a centraldiamond or two, will be in black, white, and grey in the center of the field.
Rugs that come from Navajo can be considered some of most unique and beautiful textile products. These rugs, named after the Navajo tribe where they were created, are very colorful. This tribe settled in Texas' southwest corner in the 10th- and 11th centuries. They established themselves by 1500. The Navajo tribe's tribal women started weaving chief's blankets around 1800. These blankets were very popular and Indians from the northern Great Plains up to the Mexican border wore them. However, blankets were not considered a symbol or chieftainship. They were, however, a symbol of power and wealth.
Their creations were thought to have a spiritual connection and should be shared. Borders were used to limit the spirituality of the design by acting as a barrier. Another rare feature was added - the Spider Woman's Hole. The Spider Woman's Hole, a small slit at the blanket's center, is named for the woman who taught the Navajo how to weave. This hole is a kind of spirit line, which allows the design energy from the piece to return into the world. People who are passionate
By the early 1800s, Navajo weavers used wool exclusively, and became well known among both their Indian and Spanish neighbors for finely woven, nearly weatherproof blankets that became popular trade items. Traditional, Native-made blankets were wider than long (when the warp was held vertically) and were known as mantas. The Spanish introduced the longer than wide serape form that was easier to make on European-style looms. Mantas and serapes were generally used in the same way: wrapped around the shoulders with one long edge turned over as a “collar.” However, mantas also were used by women as wrap-around dresses.