How Navajo Indian Rugs are Made

Traditional Navajo rugs are made by hand with wool from Churro sheep and dyes made from plants growing in the region.

Traditional Navajo rugs are made by hand, on an upright loom, using wool from Churro sheep and dyes made from plants growing in the region. Now highly prized by collectors and purchased by tourists, most of the modern rugs are produced to satisfy the market, but some follow the old traditional designs and styles. It is especially important to teach young members of the tribe the cultural aspects of weaving, and the connections between the loom, the tribe and the land.

The Weaving

Looms of various sizes are made of wood, with cedar frequently used. Both warp and weft yarns are wool. The warp is of a continuous thread, wound up and down, and no fringe is left by a succession of warp threads tied on the loom. A long wooden batten holds the warp threads apart while the weft yarn is woven through and then pounded down, pressing one thread tightly onto the one below with a wooden comb. As the rug nears the top and the warp threads become strained, the weaver uses a long steel needle to pass the weft through the decreasing space. When the rug is finished, there are threads at each corner, which are an indication of a rug made in this manner. Navajo rugs are woven so tightly that the warp threads can rarely be discerned, and the woolen capes they make are often waterproof.

Discontinuous Weft

When a color change is required, the weft thread of one color is interlocked with the weft of the other color and taken back, rather than being carried along the back of the rug. In this way there is a thread woven from both left and right, resulting in each side of the rug bearing the same pattern. There is no "right way up" to a Navajo rug. The interlocking method also gives a characteristic sawtooth pattern where the yarns meet.

Yarn

Undyed wool

Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the Navajo used cotton for weaving, but they quickly adapted to the wool from the Spanish Churro sheep, which are still bred today. The subtle tan, brown, gray, white and black of Navajo rugs come from natural wool shades. Dye from flowers, leaves, bark and roots of local plants provide other colors; dock roots give a rich gold dye, for example. Insect dyes, like cochineal, were used in the early 19th century, to be replaced by chemical dyes as they became available.

Design

Navajo rugs are traditionally symmetrical and composed of geometric elements, from simple broad stripes, to the more complex patterns featuring diamonds and zigzag lines. Patterns tend to reflect, or be named for, part of the land or a tradition. One type of pattern is called Two Grey Hills; another is Wide Ruins, named for rock formations in Arizona and Utah. Pictorial rugs are a recent development, showing elements of Navajo life in the past as well as today. A modern pictorial rug might show a traditional Navajo dwelling, called a hogan, featuring a satellite dish and with a pickup truck parked next to it.

References

• Navajo People - The Diné: Navajo Rugs
• Navajo Rugs and Blankets: How to Identify Genuine Navajo Rugs
• The University of Arizona: Navajo Weaving at Arizona State Museum

Resources

• Navajo Churro Sheep Association