Schiffer Publishing is pleased to bring out this entirely new edition of H.L. James' classic study of the Navajo rug and the trading posts associated with each unique style. New information and an entirely different design help explain and display the beauty and craft of the Navajo Indians. Illustrated with 49 color plates, many black-and-white photographs and drawings, and up-to-date price information, Post and Rugs traces the history of the Navajo rug and the impact the trading posts have had on its regionalization. There is also much background material on the Navajo people and their art. Here are design drawings showing elements characteristic of different weaving centers, superb color photographs of rugs typical of these centers, and detailed maps to the areas. Exquisite line drawings accompany the text showing all the steps in rug weaving, from the sheep to the finished rug. Also there is helpful advice on buying Navajo rugs and caring for them.

Looks at the history of the Navajo and their rugs, describes how the rugs are made, and discusses the influence of trading posts.

"In works of silver and wool, the Navajos have established a unique brand of American craft. And when their artisans were integrated into the American economy during the late nineteenth century, they became part of a complex cultural and economic framework in which their handmade crafts conveyed meanings beyond simple adornment." "Bsumek unravels the layers of meaning that surround the branding of "Indian-made." When Navajo artisans produced their goods, collaborating traders, tourist industry personnel, and even ethnologists created a vision of Navajo culture that had little to do with Navajos themselves. And as Anglos consumed Navajo crafts, they also consumed the romantic notion of Navajos as "primitives" perpetuated by the marketplace. These processes of production and consumption reinforced each other, creating a symbiotic relationship and influencing both mutual Anglo-Navajo perceptions and the ways in which Navajos participated in the modern marketplace." "Ultimately, Bsumek shows that the sale of Indian-made goods cannot be explained solely through supply and demand. It must also reckon with the multiple images and narratives that grew up around the goods themselves, integrating consumer culture, tourism, and history to open new perspectives on our understanding of American Indian material culture."--BOOK JACKET.

Buschman annotates more than 550 books and periodical titles published on the techniques and history of handweaving from 1928 through October 1989. She includes works on how to weave_basic weaving texts, books on looms and equipment, and patterns both for weaving and for woven articles; handweaving history and historic fabrics from around the world; works on Native American weaving, ranging from the Chilkats of the Northwest coast of North America, to the Pueblos and Navajos of our Southwest, Mexico, and Central America, and on through the rich weaving culture of the Andes; reference works containing specialized bibliographies and information on fibers, dyes, education and marketing; and periodicals. With author, title, and subject indexes.

A New Deal for Navajo Weaving provides a detailed history of early to mid-twentieth-century Diné weaving projects by non-Natives who sought to improve the quality and marketability of Navajo weaving but in so doing failed to understand the cultural significance of weaving and its role in the lives of Diné women. By the 1920s the durability and market value of Diné weavings had declined dramatically. Indian welfare advocates established projects aimed at improving the materials and techniques. Private efforts served as models for federal programs instituted by New Deal administrators. Historian Jennifer McLerran details how federal officials developed programs such as the Southwest Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory at Fort Wingate in New Mexico and the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild. Other federal efforts included the publication of Native natural dye recipes; the publication of portfolios of weaving designs to guide artisans; and the education of consumers through the exhibition of weavings, aiding them in their purchases and cultivating an upscale market. McLerran details how government officials sought to use these programs to bring the Diné into the national economy; instead, these federal tactics were ineffective because they marginalized Navajo women and ignored the important role weaving plays in the resilience and endurance of wider Diné culture.

When it comes to both the technical and aesthetic considerations of using textiles in interior design, this book gives working professionals what they need to know. You'll receive expert guidance to the process of textile specifications, selection, installation and maintenance, as well as an understanding of the properties of fabric types and a historical context of styles. Sustainable design and code issues are also considered. More than 500 illustrations and photographs elucidate key ideas. This survey of textiles for interior design is divided into three main parts: Fabrics: The interior design textile industry and marketplace. A study of fibers, yarns, constructions, and finishes. Codes and "green" design. Applications: Textile specifications and coordination of upholstery and wall coverings, window treatments, linens and accessories, and rugs and carpeting. Period Style: Oriental styles, Renaissance and Formal styles, Medieval, Colonial, Country and Provence styles, Regional and Ethnic styles, and Modern styles. Order your copy today!

A guide to identifying and dating rugs by means of weaving materials, providing historical background on the great Navajo weavers and traders.

According to the Navajos, the holy people Spider Man and Spider Woman first brought the tools for weaving to the People. Over the centuries Navajo artists have used those tools to weave a web of beautyÑa rich tradition that continues to the present day. In testimony to this living art form, this book presents 74 dazzling color plates of Navajo rugs and wall hangings woven between 1971 and 1996. Drawn from a private southwestern collection, they represent the work of sixty of the finest native weavers in the American Southwest. The creations depicted here reflect a number of stylesÑrevival, sandpainting, pictorial, miniature, samplerÑand a number of major regional variations, from Ganado to Teec Nos Pos. Textile authority Ann Hedlund provides an introductory narrative about the development of Navajo textile collectingÑincluding the shift of attention from artifacts to artÑand a brief review of the history of Navajo weaving. She then comments on the shaping of the particular collection represented in the book, offering a rich source of knowledge and insight for other collectors. Explaining themes in Navajo weaving over the quarter-century represented by the Santa Fe Collection, Hedlund focuses on the development of modern rug designs and the influence on weavers of family, community, artistic identity, and the marketplace. She also introduces each section of plates with a description of the representative style, its significance, and the weavers who perpetuate and deviate from it. In addition to the textile plates, Hedlund's color photographs show the families, landscapes, livestock, hogans, and looms that surround today's Navajo weavers. Navajo Weaving in the Late Twentieth Century explores many of the important connections that exist today among weavers through their families and neighbors, and the significant role that collectors play in perpetuating this dynamic art form. For all who appreciate American Indian art and culture, this book provides invaluable guidance to the fine points of collecting and a rich visual feast.

On the sparsely settled Arizona reservation lands, trading posts were important centers for commerce as well as social gathering destinations. With a subsistence economy, the posts offered opportunities to trade sheep, wool, and crafts for necessities such as flour, coffee, sugar (known as "sweet-salt"), and tools. Most often, traders were Anglos, living as partners among their Indian neighbors. They often were the only contact with the outside culture, and their stores provided an outlet for local arts such as rugs, pottery, baskets, and jewelry. Traders helped with correspondence, transportation, and sickness, and they even buried the dead. Trading posts were the sites of marriages and murders; they were destinations for artists, scientists, and adventurous tourists. With the coming of roads and automobiles, trading posts have all but disappeared, but the stories and photographs shared in this volume offer a glimpse into a vanishing time in the Southwest.