Ganado Red Klagetoh

Ganado is the home of the traditional and most distinctive red-black and gray rug. Klagetoh is noted for the overlapping influence of Ganado and Vegetal designs and colors. The distinguished trader J. Lorenzo Hubbell was the precursor of the strong, geometric patterns which are characteristic of the weavings from this district. His business acumen and knowledge of the market influenced the weavers to produce the "typical Indian rug" familiar to tourists during the Santa Fe Railroad-Fred Harvey era. Due to the rising prices in the collector's market, large size specimens are not as common, for a contemporary half the size brings twice the price. And in fairness to all involved the standards of quality are commensurate with the monetary value.

WE-68 The rug pictured below, by Stella Todacheeny of Greasewood, is a seven time prize winner! First Prize Arizona State Fair; First Prize and Grand Prize Heard Museum; First Prize Museum of Northern Arizona; First Prize Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonials; First Prize and Grand Prize Navajo Tribal Fair... all of these in 1967. Read Mullan Collection. - ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES WE-69 Ganado Red, left, was woven by Desbah Evans of Cross Canyon in 1971. Read Mullan Collection.

WE-70 A well known type, above, from the 1910 to 1925 period, featuring the "Saltillo" zigzag elements. From Harmsen's Western Americana.

WE-71 Klagatoh by Nellie Roan, above, uses hand spun wool from 4-corners sheep. Ray Gwilliam Collection.

WE-72 Marie Begay, below, was commissioned to weave for the Navajo Tribal Arts & Crafts Guild.Ray Gwilliam Collection

The Germantown shown above represents the finest in design, color and weaving. It is not a split rug as might appear to the eye. These yarns are finer than most hand spun and in the hands of a fine weaver result in a quality seldom achieved in large tapestries. Note the unusual warp extended beyond rug edges to make the fringe. It was originally bought in Gallup, 1898.

Don and Nita Hoel Collection.

PETER BLOOMER Ganado Red, right, woven by Esther Whipple in 1964. From Richard Spivey, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

ROBERT NUGENT WE-75 The rug woven by an unknown member of the Begay family, above, is unusual with the Rainbow Goddess around the storm pattern itself. Don and Nita Hoel Collection.PETER BLOOMER The Plaza at Santa Fe, New Mexico will be the setting for the best market of its kind in the world. For more than fifty years the Santa Fe Indian Market has attracted fine artists, craftsmen and discerning buyers. Some of the best buys in rugs, pottery, jewelry and related craft articles have come from this colorful and historic Plaza. Dates for the 53rd Santa Fe Indian Market: August 17 and 18, 1974.

WE-76 Rose Maloney of Grey Mountain, this rug beautifully depicts the traditional use of water bugs, lightning and storm symbols. It won First Prize in the 1961 Arizona State Fair. Read Mullan Collection. ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES

NAVAJO WEAVING from page 34

Those in Old Rio Grande weaving, except that there was no color change. Now, the Navajo weaver only had to control the placement of her lazy line and change color on each side of it in order to weave in the new serrate style. The Navajo did not take over the Saltillo-Old Rio Grande design style intact. Rather, they adopted parts of it and rearranged the parts in typical Navajo fashion. Stepped color joins became diagonal color joins. Terraced zigzag horizontal stripes gave way to serrate zigzag horizontal stripes. Short vertical zigzag stripes were introduced as separate design elements, or several small Saltillo concentric diamonds might be placed in a row across the center. The terraced corner triangles became serrate corner triangles. Often, serrate and terraced figures would be combined in the same blanket. Many of these transitional blankets were woven with the newly introduced 4-ply, aniline-dyed, "Germantown" yarn, or with native-spun yarns dyed with aniline dyes. The soft native dyes began to lose out. Only indigo remained until about 1900, then it, too, passed from general use.

After Bosque Redondo, native woven garments gradually gave way to commercially made clothing or cloth from which the women made their full-cut "squaw" dresses. Commercial shawls began to replace the Chief blankets, the women's blankets, and the sarape style wearing blankets. Increasingly, blankets were made to sell to the white man, but a few old women continued to weave and wear the traditional dress. Despite the general decline in weaving for home consumption, the Navajo still wove saddle blankets and soft bed blankets for themselves. After Bosque Redondo, the Navajo began to weave thick, soft, small blankets, usually in a twill weave, to serve as a pad under the saddle. These were about the size of a child's wearing blanket, but were much more coarsely woven and rarely so elaborate in design. Navajo saddle blankets are still in demand today.

Bed blankets were of the soft, fluffy weave called diyugi by the Navajo. These usually had simple striped designs, but some were made in the new serrate design system. These were sold to Pueblos and white settlers alike, to serve as bed blankets, but some also found their way onto the floor as rugs or carpets. It was from this mundane source that the Navajo rug industry began.

The rug business began in earnest about 1885. The railroads reached the Southwest about 1880, bringing with them a flood of cheap commercial goods, further reducing the need for the Navajo to weave for themselves. Many of the traders, fearing that Navajo weaving would die out, began to look for new outlets for their clients' loom products. The trains that brought the goods also brought increasing numbers of visitors to the Southwest. The traders recognized the visitor as a new market, if not for blankets, then for rugs. More and more soft, thick blankets found their way back East to adorn the floors of the travelers who bought them. There was also a resurgence of interest in fine weaving, and many wellwoven blankets made from gaudy aniline-dyed Germantown yarns were sold as wall hangings, couch covers, or rugs. Many of these "Germantown" rugs featured sewn-on fringe and tassels. Because of their elaborate and often gaudy designs, these are sometimes called eye dazzlers.

As the demand for rugs increased, speed in weaving became important; and as speed increased, quality went down. New sheep whose fleeces were poorly adapted to primitive handweaving were introduced. Starting about 1890, thousands of poorly woven rugs were produced and sold, often by the pound. Poorly carded, coarsely, and irregularly spun yarns from unwashed or poorly washed, greasy wool, poorly dyed with too many colors of inferior dye, were loosely woven onto cot-