: The craft of native weaving developed in the Southwest early in
the history of the Americas, with a distinctive Navajo style and
tradition firmly in place by the mid-Seventeenth Century.
Although little is known about their works from the 1650s through
the Eighteenth Century, the period from 1800 to the present is
thoroughly documented in Navajo history.
To celebrate the art of the Navajo weaver, a selection of
colorful blankets made between 1800 and 1890 is currently on view
at The Textile Museum. The exhibition, "Navajo Blankets of the
Nineteenth Century: Selections from The Textile Museum
Collections," highlights the powerful aesthetics and
significant trends characteristic of Nineteenth Century Navajo
weavings. It will be open through March 14.
The 16 Navajo blankets on view were created by accomplished
Nineteenth Century weavers who participated in traditional Navajo
culture and embraced change as a significant part of life. The
exhibition also explores how experts today analyze Navajo
blankets' materials, structures and designs to assign dates to
each textile.
"Navajo Indians -- who call themselves 'Dine,' meaning The People
-- continue today to honor Spider Woman and Spider Man, the holy
people who first brought them knowledge of weaving," states Ann
Lane Hedlund, guest curator at The Textile Museum. "Generations
of weavers used handmade tools and local materials to clothe
their families with blankets in traditional and innovative
patterns." Using upright frame looms, Navajo weavers created
colorful wool blankets that served many purposes, including use
as clothing, cloaks, baby wraps, bedding, furnishings, saddle
pads and trade goods. Throughout the Nineteenth Century, Navajo
weavers refined the blankets' designs and layouts as they drew
inspiration from native basketry patterns and Pueblo, Mexican and
Spanish influences.
