Native American Rugs Pasadena

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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.

It's a tourist textile, woven in Guatemala and Mexico. It can also be cut to remove warps or displayed as-is. It is genuine Navajo. A rug such as this, although I do not have the exact size information, should be valued at around $100 per sq. ft. This is an twill double saddle cushion. They are difficult to weave and require considerable skill. However, they do not get the expected auction value. You can expect an auction price between $350-$600 and a retail value between $750-$800. Two Grey Hills Rug was my first purchase at Toadlena Trading. It was 1984. I decided that it was worth the money to buy a rug from an expert weaver. The weaver information was not included in the original rug that I had packed away. It is indeed a Chief Blanket version. It combines elements of Third Phase Chief Blanket components with Moqui blankets. Moqui blankets are black and/or blue stripes and are associated in part with the time that many Navajos were servile in Hispanic homes in northern New Mexico.

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All Navajo weavings require meticulous, manual craftsmanship in terms of artisanship. The weaver was part of a family that raised the sheep. It is a common practice today. Early Navajo weavings used special wool from the Churro sheep variety, which is known for its silky fibers and long life span. Later, the Navajo began to make rugs from other types of sheep. After the sheep have been sheared, the wool is washed, carded and spun by hand. Even today, Navajo weaver still use spinning wheels. Instead of stretching the wool and twisting it onto a spindle manually, they do so by hand. The blanket is then woven on the unique Navajo loom. The weaving of authentic Navajo rugs is a labour-intensive task. The weavers must not only raise the sheep, but also spin the wool. A large rug can be woven in a year.

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The Navajo returned from Bosque Redondo to a very different world; one increasingly tied to the larger Anglo-American economy and culture. Families quickly rebuilt their sheep herds and resumed production of their own hand-spun yarns, although the Churro sheep had been replaced by American Merino sheep which had shorter, greasier wool that was much harder to clean and spin by hand. Weavers also found that the market for their blankets was changing rapidly. The trading post system and its ties to the railroad brought relatively cheap manufactured clothing and supplies to the Navajo and surrounding tribes. Anglo-style coats and dresses were replacing wearing blankets as the clothing of choice among Native peoples.

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Rugs are often woven in a rectangular format. The size and price of a rug will depend on its dimensions. Large Navajo Rugs take 1, 2, and 3 years to produce. They are harder to find, which means they have a higher price. Smaller Navajo rugs start around $100 and go up from that point. Antique Navajo rugs may be anywhere from 1,000 to many thousand, depending on the size. Historic Navajo rugs with provenance can also have value, such as a prior collection or publication. Depending upon the size, contemporary Navajo rugs are available from UNDER $500 all the way up to many 1,000.

Native American Rugs Pasadena
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