RUGS
The Navajos have been weaving since the mid-1600s. Originally they wove clothing for themselves but soon started trading their weavings to other tribes as well as to the Anglos. The wearing apparel they wove was always highly prized by both the Navajos and their trading partners. By the 1900s they had transitioned from weaving clothing items to weaving rugs which were produced almost exclusively for trade or sale. We have now transitioned from using Navajo weaving for rugs to using them for wall hangings.
When the railroad reached Gallup in 1882, a wider market opened for goods from the Navajo Nation. Traders became a very important link in the distribution of the wool and weavings. They developed catalogs of the products available from their trading post. The weavers around each trading post were encouraged to produce quality weaving in the designs advertised by the trader. Styles such as Ganado, Two Grey Hills, Klagetoh and Teec Nos Pos still carry the name of either the trading post or area where they originated.
A lot of creative energy, mental resources and time are expended on each Navajo weaving. A spirit line, or weaver’s pathway, is often incorporated in a Navajo weaving to ensure the weavers abilities are not trapped but will be available to make the next piece of art even better. Weaving is a very labor intense art form. A superior weaver will probably not create as many pieces in a lifetime as a painter will create in a year.
The art of weaving is rooted deep in the traditions of the Navajo people. Yet throughout the time they have been weaving, the Navajos have always been in tune with their market and have adapted their art to meet the desires of that market. Consequently, Navajo weaving has always been fluid in the type of weaving done, designs and quality.
The best weaving is the one that is right for you whether it is more traditional or more contemporary.
Recommended Reading
A Guide to Navajo Weavings, Kent McManis & Robert Jeffries
American Indian Textiles, 2,000 Artist Biographies, Gregory Schaaf
Blanket Weaving in the Southwest, Joe Ben Wheat
Halo of the Sun, Noel Bennett with photography by John Running
Jewels of the Navajo Loom: The Rugs of Tec Nos Pos, Ruth K.Belikove
Navajo Rugs Past, Present & Future, Gilbert S. Maxwell
Navajo Weaving, Its Technic and Its History, Charles Avery Amsden
Navajo Weaving Tradition, Alice Kaufman
Navajo Weavings, Three Centuries of Change, Kate Peck Kent
The Magic of Spider Woman, Lois Duncan (children’s book)
Southwestern Weaving, Marian E. Rodee
SANDPAINTINGS
Sandpaintings come exclusively from the Navajo Nation. The pieces that are available commercially may be representations of Navajo ceremonial sandpaintings or they may be sand art in still-life or pictorial designs.
A basic belief of the Navajos is that the universe is delicately balanced. If man upsets this delicate balance, disaster or illness can result. Balance may be restored with an elaborate healing ceremony which involves herbs, prayers, songs and sandpaintings.
Navajo sandpaintings are created by letting sand held between the fingers flow onto particle board which has been prepared and spread with glue.
The quality of a Navajo sandpainting is judged by the fineness and uniformity of the sand, the complexity of the design and lines which are even, straight and uniform.
All of our sandpaintings are beautifully framed for your added enjoyment.
Recommended Reading
A Guide to Navajo Sandpaintings, Mark Bahti
Navajo Sandpainting Art, Mark Bahti
Sandpaintings of the Navajo Shooting Chant, Franc J. Newcomb & Gladys A. Reichard
Navajo Medicine Man Sandpaintings, Gladys A. Reichard
SCULPTURE
Sculpture in stone and bronze is a relatively new art for the Navajo Native Americans. Oreland Joe (one of the most renowned of the Navajo sculptors) says ‘I guess I started it in our corner of the world. When I went to IAIA in 1980, there were no other Navajo sculptors there. I only stayed six days. I went home and tore pictures from Southwest Art and studied anything that had to do with sculpture. I experimented and learned on my own.’
In typical Navajo fashion, however, the sculptors of today were quick to master the new art form. They were the force behind the formation of the group known as the Indigenous Sculptors. The Indigenous Sculptors are a group of sculptors from various Southwest tribes who are dedicated to supporting each other as well as marketing and promoting their sculpture.