Navajo Weaving & Weft Techniques
Spider Woman and Man brought weaving to the Navajo people, according to legend. Historically, the craft of weaving came late to the Navajo, after they settled in the Southwest. They probably learned to weave from the Pueblo during the mid-17th century and quickly made the art their own. As nomads, the Navajo used different wools and plants to create dyes and used patterns similar to those they used on baskets. Though the Navajo use tapestry techniques, their weavings are called blankets and rugs, not tapestries.
-
Basic Weft Application
-
The Navajo developed a tapestry weave technique which has dominated there craft for over two hundred years. Using the basket weave, the weft is loosely placed and then packed down tightly with beating tool which resembles a long-handled fork. This way the warp is not visible. Weave varies from coarse to extremely fine depending upon the weavers reach. The tapestry is completed in sections and colors may be changed often so that when looking at a large rug, it might be possible to see where the sections end.
Wedge Pattern
-
Colors are changed by interlacing to create a specific pattern. The Navajo weaver also used wedge weave, a tapestry technique used in Scandinavia as well, though it is not known if this method was discovered or learned. With the wedge pattern, weft yarns are woven diagonally across the warp yarns, pulling the warp yarns out of line and creating a zigzag designs. This technique is called pulled warp, lazy weave and scalloped-edge weave.
-
Weaving Patterns
-
The owners of the trading posts who sold Navajo blankets influenced the weaving patterns developed on the reservations, according to Judy Breneman's article "Navajo Weaving: Yesterday and Today." Since the weavers worked separately on different parts of the reservation, they developed a number of weaving patterns. These patterns are named after the locations in which the originated. Most of these styles include central squares or diamonds, bands of color and step designs. Most are bordered.
Designs
-
According to Breneman, Western Reservation style, named for the part of the Navajo reservation where it developed. This style included the storm pattern, in which a centrally placed rectangle has four lines extending from the corners to four smaller rectangles in the corners of the rug. Navajo weavers also added geometric shapes by weaving a contrasting color over two warp strings instead of one. Wide Ruins-style rugs have horizontal bands with stepped diamonds and no border. Shiprock pictorial style rugs are unique among Navajo rugs. Weavers of these designs follow motifs based on sand paintings.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit David McNew/Getty Images News/Getty Images
