Posted 8 years ago
catsmow
(2 items)
This rug was hand down to family member. The only info was it was purchased by great or grandparents about 100 years ago. No reference on tribe, pattern or weaver. I have been told it is not a typical Northern Arizona Tribe pattern and was probably purchased in California. We are interested in learning information on the design, tribe or weaver. Thank you.
Regardless of where it was purchased, it's a Navajo rug...no other Native American Indian tribe weaves rugs. (Navajo rugs were even sold by mail order catalogs in the early 1900s, so they can be found anywhere.) They are identified as Navajo, not by their design, but by the way they are woven, since the Navajo use a unique type of loom and weaving technique.
The majority of Navajo rugs do not have a named pattern or fit into any specific category. Many early 2oth century rugs can be loosely identified as to the region of the Navajo reservation where they were made, because the traders who controlled the market in each region influenced the designs they purchased. But each is the creation of an individual weaver, and reflects her approach to the weaving.
Since weaving is considered one of the most important skills for a Navajo woman to have, it was a part of the life of nearly every Navajo woman until relatively recent times. Few rugs were documented as to who the weaver was. So there most likely is no way you are going to learn who made it. There were thousands of Navajo weavers.
But it is a variation of a Storm Pattern design, which is described as a central square, connected to each corner with zig-zag lines. It's probably the most common named pattern.
Hi CanyonRoad,
Thank you for that information. At least I have a name of design type. I was not sure if the Hopi also wove rugs.