NAVAJO

Originally a hunting-gathering people, the Navajo probably began migrating southward from Canada in the thirteenth century, entering the southwestern region of what is now the United States by the fifteenth century. Settling near the Pueblo Indians, the Navajo borrowed and modified existing artistic traditions. The Navajo migrated in small groups.  Developing a tradition of social independence and physical isolation; consequently, even though they adopted many Pueblo practices, they rejected village community life, preferring to live in small groups.  It was not until seventeenth century Spanish mission expansion into the Southwest forced Pueblo villagers to settle among the semi nomadic Navajo that they adapted Pueblo loom-weaving traditions. Although the Pueblo Indians had a long tradition of weaving cotton cloth, it was not until the Spanish introduced sheep and spun wool that the Navajo began to weave woolen wearing blankets. Weaving was always much more than an economic activity for the Navajo, perhaps because they enjoyed great personal autonomy and freedom of choice, innovative Navajo weavers were able to readily adapt designs to accommodate changing market demands while retaining an intense sense of personal pride.

Navajo blankets were highly valued and widely traded among American Indians. The year 1650 marks the beginning of the Classic Period of Navajo weaving, which extended to about 1868. The arrival of the railroad in the Southwest in the 1880s brought new markets for Navajo textiles. Navajo weavers modified their designs and colors at the request of European-American traders and began weaving floor rugs suitable for use in Victorian homes. The weaving of rugs, which started around 1890, continues today.