Kachinas, a Hopi Artist's Documentary

PRINCIPAL NAVAJO WEAVING DISTRICTS

STORM... Also known as the West Reservation area. Rugs from this area are of the more traditional patterns, usually distinguished by heavy zig-zag lines symbolizing lightning radiating out of a central rectangle containing other storm related symbols. Storm pattern rugs are made in many colors with red, black, gray and white dominating. The Storm is a very strong colorful example of emotional expression.GANADO-KLAGETOH The Ganado is the most typical first-impression... the most familiar of all Navajo rugs. The Ganado though uncomplicated in design is noted for its brilliant dark red character attributed to Lorenzo Hubbell urging his weavers to double the red portion in the dye formula. Black borders and a profusion of crosses, diamonds and stars are common Ganado characteristics. Klagetoh rugs are noted for vegetals and Ganado adaptations.

WIDE RUIN. For our purposes we have combined Pine Springs and Burntwater in this area. This is the prime Vegetal Dye center of the Navajo weaving industry.

CRYSTAL This area was dominated by trader designs in Territorial times. Modern Crystal is the most uncomplicated of all contemporary designs featuring vegetal dyes in the brown-yellow-orange range. Designs are usually banded in straight unbroken patterns.

TWO GREY HILLS. Toadlena is to Navajo rugs what Paris is to Haut Couture. Size for size the most expensive and the tightest woven examples of Navajo woven art come from the Two Grey Hills area.

PICTORIAL This area includes the Arizona-New Mexico portion of Navajoland noted for Yei and Yeibechai rugs and tapestries, sand painting interpretations and general pictorial patterns. Included is the area sometimes referred to as the Shiprock-Red Rocks region. The Shiprock-Red Rocks Yeis are veritable color masterpieces with figures woven with 12 to 15 shades and hues. Yeis seldom have borders. Yeibechais on the other hand are hardly without border. Commercial dyes and commercial wool are used extensively in this area.

TEEC NOS POS The most complex designs, the least Indian and the most like oriental is a good way to explain the distinguishing features of rugs from this area. Because of the color variations Teec Nos Pos outlines are mainly woven of commercial yarns. Strong outline designs and busy diagonals identify the typical Teec Nos Pos.

Editorial Note The spelling of places and names will vary with an author's version of phonetic into literal interpretations. Teec Nos Pos appears as Tisnasbas in older references, in others as Tec Nas Pas, etc. In another instance the work of a single weaver was photographed by three different photographers, each of whom spelled her last name differently. That's the way it is with Indian languages . . . designed for communication, not for grammatical comparison.

The GREAT SOURCE BOOK

A fourth printing, the RIO GRANDE CLASSIC edition Reprinted with the cooperation of the SOUTHWEST MUSEUM, Los Angeles, California For Librarians, Collectors, Authors, Teachers, Merchants and Scholars.

Complete chapters on WEAVING... LOOMS NATIVE DYES... METHODS AND FORMULAS TYPES AND USES OF TEXTILES... HISTORY OF THE NAVAJOS and WEAVING DEVELOPMENT... BAYETA... BLANKET TO RUG... THE RUG BUSINESS... THE EVOLUTION OF DESIGN 260 pages-Hard cover Rare color reproductions Superbly illustrated First Editions published in 1934 are valued in excess of $200.00

WE-8 Chief Blanket - Third phase, Classic period Red,

Bayeta; Blue, Indigo; Green, Saxony. Rare specimens in prime condition command from fifteen to twenty thousand dollars in the collectors' market. Ashton Gallery, Scottsdale. ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES

WE-9 Chief Blanket Modern Version, Third phase.

From the Read Mullan Gallery Collection, recognized by experts to be one of the world's finest collections of contemporary Navajo weaving art. Weaver, Agnes Todachine of Rough Rock-Chinle. Circa 1960. First Prize Navajo Tribal Fair, 1961 and First Prize 1961 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonials. Hand spun wool. White and grey, natural colors. Other colors, analine. ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES

From NAVAJO WEAVING, foreword by Frederick Webb Hodge:

In addition to the technic of the weaver's craft, the volume presents a résumé of our archeological knowledge of the long career of the loom and its prototypes in the prehistoric Southwest, describes and illustrates in detail the various weaves used by the Navaho, and records the processes employed in making their native dyes. Following this will be found a discussion of Navaho weaving from the introduction of sheep by the first Spaniards, through its earliest historical references in old Spanish documents and its brilliant "bayeta period" to modern times when, as the author says, it was gradually transformed from a native craft of blanketry into a rug-making industry. The book closes with a chapter analyzing and tracing the growth of design and an account of the "revival" movement now in progress.

The illustrations are of great value in themselves. Instead of specializing in "pretty blankets," as previous writers have been prone to do, Mr. Amsden has made a special effort to obtain illustrations of old authentically-dated specimens; and through the generous cooperation of museums and private collectors the country over a group of excellent photographs of more than one hundred such blankets has been assembled.

Many date back to the Civil War and even earlier. These with the historic old scenes and figures of early reservation days and the ample illustrations of every process in blanket-making far surpass any previous effort in that direction.

There have been numerous studies of primitive textiles, and several on Navaho weaving have been published, but until now the subject has usually been approached from the aesthetic rather than from the technical point of view.

We are generally not in the book selling business, and we sincerely urge our readers to patronize their favorite book sellers. As a special service to those readers who are remote from convenient shopping facilities we have reserved a limited supply of NAVAJO WEAVING. Our readers may purchase this book from us at the price of Twelve dollars per copy postpaid.

A SPECIAL SERVICE FOR OUR READERS ONLY

We are generally not in the book selling business, and we sincerely urge our readers to patronize their favorite book sellers. As a special service to those readers who are remote from convenient shopping facilities we have reserved a limited supply of INDIAN BLANKETS and THEIR WEAVERS. Our readers may purchase this book from us at the price of twenty dollars ($20.00) each, postpaid.

WE-12 Blanket with Yei design from "Indian Blankets" Fig. 200.

WE-13 Navajo blanket of symbolic design from "Indian Blankets" Fig. 146. Author's Collection.

From Indian Blankets And Their Makers

That weavers are influenced in their choice of design by their environment I have illustrated a score or more of times, but never more forcefully than by the weaver from whom I purchased the fantastic blanket pictured in colors in Fig. 146.

This weaver's summer hogan was not far from a siding on the main line of the Santa Fe Railway, some fifty miles west of Gallup, New Mexico, over the state line in Arizona.

One day after she had set up her loom, she was aroused from her thought by the arrival of a train going west. That immediately suggested to her that she attempt to reproduce the engine and train of cars in her blanket. The sun was glistening on the rails, and this effect she reproduced by alternations of white and blue. (Read from bottom up.) The train was of passenger coaches, and there was room on her loom for only two cars, and these of rather compressed dimensions. To denote that they were passenger cars she introduced two human figures in each. While this work was progressing certain birds appeared on the scene, together with two women, one walking east and one west. A "light" engine also came traveling east, and as the sun happened to be shining upon it as it passed it had a bright, glistening appearance, so she represented it by weaving it in white, while the windows of the cab are picked out in dark blue. A large and small rain-cloud also appeared on the horizon and these are duly represented.

After getting ready for the next panel and no train appearing, she pictured six flying birds alighting on the track and five walking female figures. A rain-cloud is at each end of the group of walkers. This panel is followed by one showing two engines together, going west, with flying birds and rain-clouds above them.

The next panel shows a sleeping-car. The remainder of this panel is made up of fleecy clouds, flying birds, and rain clouds, while the last panel is her very effective representation of a poultry train going west.