Weavers also found that the market for their blankets was changing rapidly. The trading post system and its ties to the railroad brought relatively cheap manufactured clothing and supplies to the Navajo and surrounding tribes. Anglo-style coats and dresses were replacing wearing blankets as the clothing of choice among Native peoples. During the last two decades of the 19th century, most Navajo blankets were woven of spongy, loosely spun yarns most frequently dyed with aniline reds, oranges and yellows. Banded Blankets made with simple stripes of contrasting color were descendents of the earliest Navajo weavings.
native american flat woven rugsOlder rugs could have been cleaned and may have developed other odors. It is quite funny to watch potential buyers go through an inventory of rugs and then inspect them. It is important to be able distinguish wool from other materials. Although there are better ways to test wool, these methods are often not applicable when purchasing a rug at a retail store or Indian arts dealer.
Despite the excellent quality of these blankets, no more than a hundred exist today. The blanket was lot #1062 in an auction at John Moran’s, and was expected to sell for $100,000-$200,000. Clearly it sold for many times that number, and I only hope that whoever bought it is not inspired by my childhood antics, and leaves the Navajo blanket in a temperature and light controlled glass case instead of snuggling with in their car! Native American history is best told, not in schoolbooks, but in their art. And, some of the most revealing pieces of this cultural heritage are textiles. Pieces like this Navajo chief’s blanket tell a story of the Native American community, spirituality and struggle for survival.
Another way to check the authenticity of the Navajo rug is to look for lazy lines. Lazy lines appear as a diagonal line in the weave of the fabric. During the weaving process, the rug maker would move to work on adjacent sections of the warp, resulting in the subtle diagonal lines referred to as lazy lines. These lines would be almost impossible to detect by looking at a photograph of the rug online.
Zapotec and other Mexican knock-offs often have wide end borders and end cords that are added after the rug is woven. The warp ends will be buried along side the adjacent cut warp ends as described previously. It should be noted that many knock-offs, regardless of origin, use designs taken directly from photos in books. The Zapotec are the #1 makers of counterfeit Navajo rugs. In Teotitlan de Valle (Zapotec rugs) much of their entire industry is devoted to making fakes and knock-offs. They make the hightest number and most convincing fakes.
Learn all about antique Native American Art while having fun! Joining Red Mesa Gallery News gets you your Navajo Rug checklist, monthly updates, offers and promotions re all things antique native american art. Quit anytime! Are you attracted to the beauty and craftsmanship of Navajo rugs but confused by all the terminology being thrown around in the galleries? Here’s a brief history of Navajo weaving that will help you sort out the most common terms, and give you a head start when you venture out to shop for these fascinating examples of Native American art.
These rugs are made using handlooms that are manually operated.In the past, weavers would set up their looms among two trees. They now use poles to weave on their looms. To create a perfect base pattern, the weavers will overlap the threads several times and then add layers of different designs. These rugs are often distinguished by the presence of black and white stripes.The Navajo rugs are distinguished from other types of rugs by the way they have their wool and fabric. For their rugs, the Navajos used high-quality, hand-spun wool made from their sheep. They also used Saxony yarn, which was silky and naturally colored.These rugs were made from all-natural materials, which allowed for the high quality Navajo rugs.