Red Native American Rugs

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Any handmade imitation Navajo rug made in the United States would probably be woven with the firm intentions of deceiving the buyer. There would hardly be any other reason for a American non-Indian to put in the time and effort required to weave a convincing fake. Because of the economics and the work required, there are very few US made fake Navajo rugs.

Apart from guides about specific rug problems, we also put out discussions regarding different rugs. These discussions will enable you to get a better idea about the rugs & carpets in your home. The Navajo Nation is one of the largest Native American tribes in the U.S. As of the most recent census, they currently top the numbers as the biggest tribe by population, unseating the Cherokee, per US News. Members of the group mostly live on the largest reservation in the country — about 16 million acres, which sits mostly in Arizona but also covers parts of New Mexico and Utah, according to the Indian Health Service. The Navajo have called the southwestern U.S. home for well over a century. Once at war with white settlers and other Native tribes, the Navajo honed a skill that helped them produce one of their most valuable creations: blankets. The Navajo are known for a lot of things, but their weaving skills are widely recognized. During the 17th century, the group picked up two skills from the Spanish — learning how to herd sheep and how to make wool, according to PBS. By the late 17th century they'd learned intricate weaving methods from the Pueblo. With the latter skill, the Navajo perfected the art of weaving and made such high-quality blankets that they could practically hold water.

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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.)

Red Native American Rugs
native american rugs how to tell quality

native american rugs how to tell quality

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.

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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.

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native american apache rugs

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.

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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.

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