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

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.

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 106 color images, 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.

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

A history and description of southwestern textiles along with a catalog of Pueblo, Navajo, Mexican, and Spanish American blankets, ponchos, and sarapes.

Profiles a West Bengali caste specializing in producing painted narrative scrolls and performing songs to accompany their unrolling.

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.

Between the red canyon walls of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, in the heart of the Navajo Nation, stands an eight-hundred-foot sandstone rock formation known as Spider Rock. According to Diné oral history, this sacred place is where Spider Woman, or Na ashe'ii'tasdzáá, makes her home. For centuries, her gift of weaving has provided the Diné with a constant means of sustenance. Diné textile and basketry weavings in Santa Fe's Museum of Indian Arts and Culture collections created between the 1850s and the 1890s allow us to explore the oral history of Spi-der Woman and the early history of the Diné during this time. This book presents two viewpoints on Diné weaving. One is the perspective of Diné weaver and museum educator, Joyce Begay-Foss and the other viewpoint is from well-known Diné textile scholar and anthro-pologist, Marian Rodee. Starting with early baskets, there is visual evidence of Spider Woman's influence, for it was this early knowledge of hand weaving and dyes that transferred into early textile weaving after the Diné acquired wool. The Diné textiles dating from 1840 to 188o were primarily made for Native use, as well as for intertribal trade. They include one-piece dresses, mantas, two-piece dresses, women's shoulder blankets, and ponchos. Designs range from simple bands and stripes to intricate in-terlocking serape patterns. Of particular interest are fine examples of highly recognised chief blankets, as well as the crowning achievement of classic-period serapes showing the finest de-signs and materials. Published in association with the New Mexico Museum of Indian Arts & Culture.

Featuring more than 500 photos and maps, this is the first comprehensive, research-based history of Navajo weavings with imagery inspired by tribal sacred practices. These Yei, Yeibichai, and sandpainting textiles have been the most sought after by collectors and the least studied by scholars. In spite of their iconography, they never served a ceremonial function. They were created by Navajo women at the instigation of Anglo traders, for sale to wealthy collectors willing to pay premium prices for their perceived spiritual symbolism. This book describes the historical and artistic development of the genre from its controversial emergence around 1900, to the 1920-1940 period of intense creativity, and concluding with the contemporary search for innovative patterns. Never-before-published weavings, detailed annotations, and an extensive bibliography make this an invaluable reference for scholars and collectors, and a fascinating exploration for all who are interested in the Southwest and its native cultures.