Vintage Original Native American Rugs

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Designs his weavers developed before 1911 were still being made, virtually unchanged, as late as the 1950s. These oriental-influenced patterns are now known as Early Crystal rugs. Those made at the beginning of the century typically featured aniline red with natural whites, browns and greys, while rugs made from the 1920s on tended to rely even more heavily on a wide range of natural wool colors. One of the most popular designs that likely resulted from Moore’s work at Crystal was the Storm Pattern. It is generally defined as a central rectangle connected by zig-zag lines to smaller rectangles in each corner. The storm pattern often is said to have symbolic meaning: the zig-zags are lighting, the corner rectangles are the four sacred mountains of the Navajo or the four directions or the four winds, etc. Nevertheless, the great variety of interpretations suggests that meanings were assigned by traders and collectors, not by the Navajo themselves.

The impetus behind this trend came primarily from Anglo collectors, traders, and government agencies that had a sincere desire to upgrade the quality of Navajo weaving and return to traditional, pre-rug patterns. The resulting rugs were not literal copies of older pieces, but were creative variations on banded designs using a wide palette of newly developed vegetal dye colors made from indigenous plants, as well as new, subtly colored chemical dyes. Mary Cabot Wheelwright, founder of the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, probably started the “vegetal revival” by providing weavers around Chinle, Arizona with the new dyes and sketches of old weavings.

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Starting in the 1940s, Sally and William Lippincott, owners of the trading post at Wide Ruins, Arizona worked with the weavers in their area to develop highly detailed banded patterns rendered in vegetal dyes. Most Wide Ruins rugs are characterized by very fine, tightly-spun yarns and a flat, even weave. They feature the full range of new vegetal colors including soft green, mauve, terra cotta, and pale purple, pink and blue as well as the more common yellow, gold, brown, and tan. Burntwater, another center of vegetal dye weaving near Wide Ruins, has given its name to a distinctive rug type which combines the bordered, central geometric designs of modern Ganado and Two Grey Hills rugs with bright pastel, vegetal colors.

native american wool rugs

native american wool rugs

Weavers frequently outlined the small serrated patterns with a single yarn of contrasting color to heighten the visual complexity and impact. This patterning technique became known as the Eyedazzler and continues to be popular to the present day. Both the banded and diamond pattern homespun blankets of the late 19th century are generically known as Transitional Blankets because they signaled the end of Navajo blanket production and ushered in the era of the Navajo rug. By the 1890s, the internal demand for Navajo weaving was almost non-existent. To make matters worse a widespread financial panic seized the US economy in 1893, depressing commodity prices for the raw wool that had come to replace weavings as the Navajo’s primary trade item.

Vintage Original Native American Rugs

native american rug designs

Many Navajo rugs have what Indian artists dealers call "lazylines." It is an insensitive and insulting term. I hope it will be replaced with the "Section Line." Section line lines are a break or diagonal joint in the weave that allows a weaver to work on a specific section of the rug and not have to reach the whole rug. She weaves one piece, then she moves on to weave another. This creates a diagonal section line. Not all Navajo rugs feature section lines. The Mexican imitation Navajo rugs' end borders are usually wider than those of a genuine Navajo rug. Side borders are also often wider. If the fringe at the ends is an extension of the warps then the rug is not authentic Navajo.

native american rug designs
native american rugs burgundy color
native american rugs burgundy color

Mexican imitation Navajo rugs have wider end borders than a true Navajo rug. Side borders are sometimes wider. If there is fringe at either end that extends the warps of the rug, it may not be a genuine Navajo Rug. Wool can be used to make a Navajo rug. There are a handful of authentic Navajo rugs made from synthetic materials such acrylic. You might be able to identify it as a Navajo woman weaving a cheap knock-off. In such cases, it does not matter if it's real or not. Although the imitations may be made with wool, some fakes are made using polyester. Some fakes made from Pakistan or India use a blend or acrylic of wool and polyester.

native american flat weave rugs

These rugs were not made for survival by the Navajos before the 15th Century. These rugs have become one of the most important decorative items in households. The Navajo rugs are luxurious and costly because of a variety of factors. Here are some common reasons why these rugs are so expensive. Contrary to other types, weaving rugs is more difficult than the others. These rugs use handlooms, which can be operated manually. Back then, weavers set up their weaving looms between two trees. Nowadays, weavers use poles rather than trees. They sit on small tools or on the floor while weaving on their looms. For a perfect base design, weavers often overlap the threads multiple times. Then they add layers of other designs. They are commonly known for their distinctive patterns, which allow people to recognize the rugs. You can clearly tell the difference between Navajo rugs and other types of rugs if you look at the wool and fabric. Hand-spun wool was made by the Navajos from their own sheep to be used on the rugs. They used Saxony, a silky, naturally tinted yarn.These rugs are made with all-natural ingredients, which guarantees the high quality of the Navajo rugs. It was also hard to spin these wools, making them so costly because of the tedious work and effort required by the weavers. Unique designs made the Navajo rugs unique and special.

native american flat weave rugs