Contemporary Weavings

Today, much of the material tradition of Navajo weaving is still practiced and preserved, but most rugs are made for eventual sale.  Some weavers adhere to old practices, like raising sheep, spinning wool, and preparing dyes themselves; others purchase industrially dyed and prepared yarns from local supply stores.  For some women, weaving makes up an essential part of the income needed for sustenance, while others choose to weave out of a sense of familial or cultural tradition.

For many Navajo weavers, technical and ceremonial instruction in weaving represents a matrilineal heritage and tradition, bringing them closer to the ways their mothers and grandmothers lived.  Many young weavers learn by observation: sitting nearby and learning what they can, as intricately woven textiles come slowly together on older women’s looms.  These rugs and blankets allow Navajo women to pass along some element of shared history to newer generations of Navajo people.

Navajo woven textiles are still marketed as rugs or blankets, but the role of these weavings has shifted through several distinct phases since their inception.  Initially worn as clothing, the Navajo blanket became the Navajo rug as weavers and traders in the Nineteenth century responded to market demands for floor coverings and decorative textiles in native styles.  Today, they are more readily accepted as art objects rather than commercially available décor.  One is more likely to encounter these weavings hung from the wall by a private collector or museum curator than covering the floor of the weaver’s traditional hogan.