Native American Indian Style Rugs

native american rugs in kalispell

Wool is the standard material used in the making of a Navajo rug. There are a few genuine Navajo rugs made using synthetic materials such as acrylic. If encountering one, it could be looked at as the result of a Navajo woman weaving her own cheap knock-off. In such case, it probably doesn't matter is it is real or not. The imitators may use wool but there are poor fakes made in Mexico that use polyester. Some fakes made in India or Pakistan use a blend of wool and polyester or acrylic. Contrary to another author, sniffing the rug to determine if the rug is made from wool is not useful. Much of the wool use in contemporary Navajo rugs has very little lanolin and doesn't smell at all. Older rugs may have been cleaned or have acquired other odors. It is comic to watch a potential buyer go through a store's inventory sniffing the rugs. A buyer should learn to distinguish the look and feel of wool from other materials. While there are more scientific means of testing for wool, they are usually not practical in the context of purchasing a rug from a store or Indian arts dealer.

First, authentic Navajo rugs have a unique vertical loom that uses a continuous weave. The warp thread travels from the bottom of a loom to its top, looping down to the bottom and looping back up to the top. The Navajo rug is built on the warp yarn. The weft yarn creates its design patterns. Mexican looms can be horizontally oriented. They use multiple pieces and fringed ends of warp threads. If fringed ends are visible, it is likely that you are looking at a Mexican-made rug. It has individual warp threads, rather than a Navajo-made rug with one long continuous warp. However, this rule doesn't always apply. Some early Navajo "Germantown” style weavings might have included fringe.

Native American Indian Style Rugs

5 x 7 native american rugs

When it comes to size, the larger the rug is, the longer it takes to weave. This will increase the price, the larger the rug is. The largest rugs can take up to three years to make. Given the extra hours put into making it, it will cost significantly more than a more common 4'x6′ rug. Antique rugs will cost more than modern ones, given their value has risen as a result of their rarity. However, even contemporary Navajo rugs can fetch upwards of several thousand dollars. This is because the number of Navajo weavers is diminishing every year. There is a great deal of time and discipline needed to create a rug.

native rugs

native rugs

First, authentic Navajo rugs are made with a unique style of vertical loom that uses a continuous warp, which means the base wool yarn that is used isn’t cut off at the ends; instead, the warp thread goes from the bottom of the loom to the top, and then loops down to the bottom, then loops to the top and so on. The warp yarn creates the foundation of the Navajo rug, whereas the weft yarn creates the design pattern. Mexican looms are horizontally oriented and use multiple pieces of warp threads that are fringed on the ends. If you see fringed ends, you are likely looking at a Mexican-made rug with individual warp threads instead of a Navajo rug made with one, long continuous warp. (This rule does not always hold, though. Some early Navajo “Germantown” style weavings may have added fringe.)

southwestern rug

Not far from Crystal was the Two Grey Hills trading post, known for weavings in which no dyes were used. Instead, weavers carefully combed and spun different natural colors of yarn to yield a beautiful range of creamy whites, tans, browns, and greys. (To get a solid black color, weavers sometimes would overdye dark brown wool with black dye.) The weavers around Two Grey Hills developed very complex geometric patterns, usually based on a large, hooked central diamond with multiple geometric borders. They also were known for very finely spun wool of small diameter which they used to make very thin, dense, and tightly woven rugs that are certainly the greatest technical achievements in the history of Navajo rug making.

southwestern rug
louise reed native american rugs
louise reed native american rugs

Section Lines. Many Navajo rugs will feature what Indian art dealers call, "lazylines." It is an inaccurate and offensive term. I hope the term "Section Line" will replace it. A section line line refers to a diagonal joint or break in a rug's weave. It is where a weaver works on a particular section of the rug instead of working across it all. She weaves one part, then goes on to weave the next section. This creates the diagonal segment line. All Navajo rugs do not have section lines.

indian design rugs

Chinle Revival rugs typically feature bands of repeating geometric motifs alternated with plain or striped bands of contrasting colors. Common colors for Chinle rugs include yellow, gold, brown, tan, terra cotta, soft pink and other earth tones, as well as natural wool colors ranging from white to black. About the time of World War II, Crystal-area weavers developed their own banded revival rugs bearing no resemblance to Moore’s early designs. Generally known as Modern Crystal rugs, these borderless patterns often combine vegetal and aniline colors in shades of brown, yellow, and terra cotta with natural greys and whites.

indian design rugs