Native American Rugs how To Tell Quality

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Second, look for the presence of “lazy lines.” A lazy line is a diagonal, 45-degree angle line formed as the Navajo weaver creates the rug. The presence of one can be a diagnostic characteristic of an authentic Navajo rug (although knock-off rugs also try to have similar looking lines in the weave). A lazy line is formed as the weaver works. The weaver sits in front of the loom and works in a section, weaving in the weft yarn in the desired pattern. The weaver then moves over and works on another section. By working in this way, it creates these beautiful lines in the body of the rug.

Native American Rugs how To Tell Quality

To aid in Navajo rug ID, there are certain ones that can be identified by their distinctive colors, others by the bands of color and the designs within those bands, and certain others by their distinctive designs. The Ganadoand Klagetoh tend to have simpler designs than the similar Two Grey Hills, and Burntwater rugs. Ganado rugs always have a red background. The distinctivered color is often called a ‘Ganado Red.’ The design, based on a centraldiamond or two, will be in black, white, and grey in the center of the field.

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In an effort to subdue and “domesticate” the Indians, the US Army slaughtered the Navajo’s sheep and destroyed their crops and homes. The government allowed weaving to continue during the internment by replacing the Navajo’s home-grown wool with factory-made yarns from Europe and the eastern United States. After the Navajo returned to their homelands in 1868, the US government continued to provide commercial yarns as part of their “annuity” support for the Navajo people. In the 1870s, licensed Indian Traders began supplying weavers with factory-made yarns brightly colored with aniline (chemical) dyes. Blankets made of these colorful yarns are generically called Germantown weavings after the town in Pennsylvania where much of the yarn was produced.

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Collectors are highly smitten by the rarity of Navajo blankets. Many consider a fine Navajo quilt to be their cornerstone. These textiles are highly valued because of their rarity and collector enthusiasm. Navajo blankets are visually appealing and have a level that rivals modern art in terms of artistic sophistication. Navajo blankets can be seen as simple, bold stripes in the early examples or intricate "eyedazzler", geometric patterns in later blankets. The simplicity of the tools used by Navajo weavers to create their textiles makes them even more stunning. The looms can be set up out of doors, often under a tree branch. The weaver used to plan the patterns in his head. To create a harmonious design, one needs artistic talent and multidimensional thinking.

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It is important to get a Navajo Navajo rug at a dealer that is located near or on the reservation. Rugs from distant areas are often difficult for authenticators to verify. Buy authentic rugs to support local art communities and make an investment in American art. You should not purchase a rug in a departmental store. It is possible that the designer simply used a Navajo image to give it a look of being made by Navajos.

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9x12 native american design rugs
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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. Many of the women who weave for nearby Taodlena Trading Post carry on this tradition of quality. The most finely woven rugs are often called tapestry rugs. Beginning in the 1920s, weavers and traders developed several new regional styles based on a revival of early banded patterns and the predominant use of vegetal dyes.