History of Native American Rugs

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The major exceptions to this rule, however, were weavings that portrayed Yeis, or Navajo Holy People, and weavings that recreated sacred ceremonial sand paintings. A small number of weavers made Sand Painting Rugs as early as the 1890s in the area around Two Grey Hills. Most famously, the medicine man Hosteen Klah made a series of sand painting rugs with the help of his mother and nieces between 1919 and 1936. Nevertheless, sand painting rugs were very rare before the 1960s when weavers in the Ganado area began producing them in larger numbers. Although they are not sacred objects in themselves, rugs showing sacred sandpainting images have always been somewhat controversial within the Navajo community, and many weavers still decline to make such representations.

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.

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Navajo rugs typically have a wool warp. You may not be an expert on fibers so it might be hard to identify the warp type. But, in general, linen and cotton are more smooth than wool. Wool is very wooly. It has tiny fibers that stick out of the warp threads, as you can see in the photo to the right. One authentic Navajo rug is the Gallup throw. It is woven using a cotton warp. Remember that cotton was widely used in warp weaving in the late 1800's. The other indicators can be used to confirm the authenticity of the item, but you must also use the fiber content in the warp for authentication.

ralph lauren native american rugs

ralph lauren native american rugs

It is a textile used in the tourist trade of southern Mexico and Guatemala. You can cut it apart to display or remove the warps. It's authentic Navajo. The rug is approximately $100 per square ft. I don't have any size information. This is a double-twill saddle blanket. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to weave these blankets, but they never achieve the auction value they deserve. A retail value of $750-$800 and an auction value between $350 and $600 are possible. Two Grey Hills rug was purchased from Toadlena Trading back in 1984. I decided to spend the extra money and bought a rug by a master weaver. I had to throw the rug away years back and lost all the information. Is there anyway to identify the weaver from this rug? Any ideas would be much appreciated.

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By the 1930s, Ganado area weavers had thoroughly adopted the color scheme, but had moved away from Classic-inspired weavings to new patterns with a large central motif-often a complicated diamond or lozenge shape-with a double or triple geometric border. These rugs frequently had a deep red “ground” or field on which the central motif was superimposed, and are now known as the Ganado regional style. Weavers around the nearby trading post at Klagetoh, Arizona (also owned by Hubbell) often worked in the same colors and patterns, but reversed the color scheme and used a grey ground with red, white and black central motifs.

History of Native American Rugs
american indian style rugs
native american design yellow cotton rugs
native american design yellow cotton rugs

Although it may seem difficult to get a Navajo rug, the process is very simple. Many online retailers offer Navajo rugs in their online galleries. You will need to visit a store located in Navajo to see them in person. A reservation is required, so make sure you are able to visit Navajo homes. Two exceptions to the "no-frizzle" rule exist. Germantown rugs are made with a fringe added after it is woven. These fringes are very rare, and you can see a picture of one at the left. An antique Germantown might have some fringe, but it doesn't affect the fabric. The fringe is an added-on. A Gallup throw is the exception to this rule. These tiny pieces measure approximately 18" by 24", and are made in Gallup, New Mexico. Gallup throws are woven on a cotton warp. The weaving is cut and knotted instead of being finished in the traditional manner so that there is only one fringe. There are many Gallup throws that were sold to passengers on the Sante Fe railroad. These make a great addition to any collection. They usually cost between $40 and $50. However, I have seen them sell for as high as $250 on eBay.

valuing native american rugs

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. Any combination and amount of colors may be used. They can be commerciallyor vegetal dyed and contain different numbers of Yei figures. Sometimes thesefigures are surrounded by the guardian rainbow Yei symbol.

valuing native american rugs