Vintage Native American Rugs with One Figure

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The best way to learn is to look at as many weavings as you can in galleries and museums, and don’t be afraid to ask questions! Soon you’ll be matching the terminology to the weavings and you’ll begin to feel a surge of confidence. When you decide to buy, focus on a reputable dealer who will take time to answer all your questions simply and directly, and make sure they are willing to give you a written guarantee of authenticity. Happy collecting!

Today's Navajo weavers are decreasing in number. Many young weavers aren't learning this traditional Navajo weaving technique, which is a difficult and tedious art form. Navajo Rugs are a way to encourage younger Navajos to learn how to weave and to keep the traditional Navajo Rug tradition alive. The Navajo Churro Navajo Collection Rugs, contemporary Navajo rugs, are commissioned from the top Navajo Master Weavers. The weaving adds value with the native Churro sheaf wool, the hand dying process and dyes (natural or aniline). Every weaving comes with a Churro Certificate - a photo of a weaver and detailed information about Navajo rug.

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By the early 1800s, Navajo weavers used wool exclusively, and became well known among both their Indian and Spanish neighbors for finely woven, nearly weatherproof blankets that became popular trade items. Traditional, Native-made blankets were wider than long (when the warp was held vertically) and were known as mantas. The Spanish introduced the longer than wide serape form that was easier to make on European-style looms. Mantas and serapes were generally used in the same way: wrapped around the shoulders with one long edge turned over as a “collar.” However, mantas also were used by women as wrap-around dresses.

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buy native american rugs in lacey

A watershed in Navajo weaving came in the 1860s with the incarceration of about 8000 men, women and children at Bosque Redondo reservation in eastern New Mexico. 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.

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Nevertheless, the great variety of interpretations suggests that meanings were assigned by traders and collectors, not by the Navajo themselves. The storm pattern’s precise origin is uncertain-one story suggests it was developed by a trader on the western side of the Reservation-but the weavers at Crystal developed this concept into one of the most popular and lasting of all Navajo rug patterns. 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.)

Vintage Native American Rugs with One Figure
native american braided oval rugs
native american geometric art rugs
native american geometric art rugs

Prices are dependent on size, age, tightness of the weave, and intricacy of design. Navajo rugs are so expensive due to their exemplary craftsmanship and use of high quality wool. The tightness of the weaving, size of the rug, dyes used and condition all affect a Navajo rug’s price. Prices for Navajo rugs typically range anywhere from $100 to a few thousand dollars. In the early 1800s Navajo women began to weave chief’s blankets, which were so widely traded that they were worn by Indians from the northern Great Plains to the Mexican border. Although not a badge of chieftainship, these blankets did symbolize power and affluence. The value of a Navajo rug will depend on a few factors, such as how large it is, how old it is, how tight the weaving is, the style, what dyes were used, and what condition it is in. Navajo rugs can range anywhere from $100 for a small one, to several thousand dollars for a large and old one. The only surviving pioneer mill for those blankets is Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton, Oregon. They sell to non-Indians as well, but about half their annual production goes to Indians, particularly Navajos.