These intricate designs are a testament both to the weaver’s skill and artistic talent.
Navajo rugs lack ridges in the ends. Some people will attempt to pass a rug as Navajo. If you pull the weft yarns apart slightly, you will see the doubled up Warps. This will be the next time I come across a good example. I'll take a picture. This is common in Ye’i rug imitations that are made from Mexico.
These are pictorial rugs that show ceremonial sandpaintings.They are square and can contain supernatural figures with magical trappings. They can also include common elements such as snakes, feathers, lizards, andwhirling logs. Because these rugs are sacred, only a few Navajo weavers arewilling or able to produce them. To protect these individuals from spiritualharm, special ceremonial sings must be conducted. These rugs are very rare and thus very valuable and are producedin the Two Grey Hillsand Shiprock areas. Yeis (yays) are the Holy People (supernatural) who cancommunicate between the Navajo people and their gods. They are usually shown face-frontand are tall, slender figures carrying rattles, cornstalks, etc. There are someelements of some sandpaintings but these rugs are not used in ceremonies.
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. A more complicated type of design was derived from Hispanic Saltillo serapes which featured brightly colored patterns of serrated diamond shapes. Weavers frequently outlined the small serrated patterns with a single yarn of contrasting color to heighten the visual complexity and impact.
For more than a century, the southwestern U.S. was home to the Navajo. After years of war with white settlers from other Native tribes in the West, the Navajo developed a skill that would allow them to produce one their most important creations: blankets. While many things are important to the Navajo, it is most well-known for their weaving skills. PBS says that two Spanish skills were learned by the group in the 17th century: how to herd sheep and how knit wool. They learned sophisticated weaving techniques from the Pueblo in the late 17th Century. The Navajo mastered this skill and were able to weave blankets that could literally hold water. They could be used in multiple ways, including as blankets or coats.