The design of the Navajo rugs tells you what exemplary craftsmanship looks like. Weavers of the ancient Navajo rugs had a lot of skills in weaving rugs. They knew all about beautiful and eye-catching design. Some even incorporated their personal touch into the overall design of the rug. Sometimes, the personal touch can be a symbol. Typically, you will see lightning bolts, sun rays, crosses, triangles, and other shapes and designs.
In the process, they drew out specific concepts and motifs, re-synthesizing them into distinctly Navajo designs. Motifs probably derived from oriental rugs include repeated hook shapes (often called “latch hooks”), the “waterbug” shaped like an “X” with a bar through the middle, the “airplane” or T-shape with rounded ends and, in a small number of weavings, rosettes. An even more lasting and fundamental influence was the concept of a large central motif in one, two or three parts that covers almost all of the ground between the borders. Even the concept of the border itself, usually in two or three layers with at least one in a geometric pattern, is probably traceable to oriental carpet design. Though introduced in the regional around Crystal, these motifs and ideas quickly spread to other areas of the Reservation and are found on many rugs woven throughout the past century.
Most Navajo rugs lack a fringe. 99.5% is the most common. If you notice fringe on the piece, ask the seller how they came to determine that it was Navajo. I don't care if their grandmother believed that J. L. Hubbell bought the rug. It's likely that it's not Navajo. Navajo rugs use a continuous figure eight weaving technique. This is a picture of a rug being weaved. You can see these loops at the ends if Navajo rugs are closely examined.
They are more likely to incorporate natural wool colors and more subdued chemical shades. Yeis continue to be very popular with collectors and are now being made in nearly all parts of the reservation. Although rugs have been the predominant product of Navajo looms over past century, weavers have continued to make other types of products, if on a smaller scale.
Medicine Man Gallery specializes on authentic Navajo rugs. The Classic Period, 1650-1868; Late Classic Period 1865-1880; Transitional Period 1895-1895; Rug Period 1895-Present.
Evidence suggests they often were tied to the saddle skirt behind the cantle rather than being placed under the saddle. During the first several decades of the twentieth century, weavers near railroad stops and tourist centers made small, loosely woven, pictorial mats. Now known as Gallup Throws, these inexpensive items were a favorite, easy to transport souvenir among visitors to the southwest. Pictorial and geometric “rugs,” too small for use on the floor and typically made with commercially spun and dyed yarns, remain a staple of the souvenir trade to this day. Weaving techniques in the Rug Period have primarily been limited to the standard tapestry weave which is identical on both sides. (This term should not be confused with “tapestry rugs” from Two Grey Hills.)
The best way to identify a genuine Navajo rug is to look for the warp and selvage lines. These lines are often continuous, although the weaver can vary. Fake rugs can be harder to spot, particularly if they are priced at less than $200. The warp threads in a fake rug will also have ridges on the end since they are made of wool rather than cotton.
