replica native american rugs

indian style rug

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.

native american design rugs —

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.

valuing native american rugs

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.

vintage native american wool rugs

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.

vintage native american wool rugs
guide to native american rugs
guide to native american rugs

The Navajo returned from Bosque Redondo to a very different world; one increasingly tied to the larger Anglo-American economy and culture. Families quickly rebuilt their sheep herds and resumed production of their own hand-spun yarns, although the Churro sheep had been replaced by American Merino sheep which had shorter, greasier wool that was much harder to clean and spin by hand. 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.

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Older 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.

replica native american rugs
us made native american rugs

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, please let us know within 3 days from when you placed your order.
As soon as your order ships, you will receive an email with tracking info and then following emails with shipping updates.
We accept all major credit or debit cards. You can also pay with your PayPal account.
Just send us an email with your order number and we’ll send you instructions.  We will give you a full refund within the first 60 days after your order ships out.  After that, we have to charge a 25% restocking fee. You are responsible for return shipping fees unless you are swapping for a different design or size.
Yes! We can ship anywhere in the world. Please send us an email with your address before placing an order outside of the US and Canada though. We need to partially charge you for shipping when you place your order.
All of our rugs are made to order and go through a rigorous inspection process. You can typically expect your rug to be shipped 2 weeks from when you make your purchase.
We find rug pads are not necessary to protect your flooring. However, some people choose to use rug pads to prevent their rug from sliding around.