Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-04-08
ONE BLANKET a YEAR.
rho beautiful and Patient Weaving OF the
Navajo Indians.

rhc beautiful and Patient Weaving OF the
Navajo Indians.
Exactly the most perfect blanket.
Neither Ottoman fingers nor British
machines have over produced it,
peer. The only thing know of tc
surpasS it is to be found among tho
astounding prehistoric fabrics w,
have cNhumCd III the mummy mines
of Peru, but they are not blankets
And this matChlCss weaving is the
handiwOrk, not of some old world
craftsman, not of Il trained heir OF
civilization, but of Il wild animals
dirty, foxy, barbarouS dcnizen of {
corner of the Great American desert
A Navajo Indian of New Mexico
and Arizona cannot vie with the
modern Turk i'll rugs nor with tn,
extinct GunCa III fringCS, but whCl
1t comes to blankets he can beat the
nearly Il generation since Il Naval,
blanket of strictly the first class has
been created. Here is Il lost art, not
because tn" NHvajors no longer
know how, but hCcaus" they will no
longer take the trouble. They make
thousands of blankets still thick,
coarse, fuzzy Things, which are the
best camping blankets (" he had
anywhere and most comfortable
robes but of tn" superb old pom
Chos and zcraprs for chiefs those
| iron fabrics woven from vay"ta, Il
Turkish cloth imported specially for
| them and sold at IS pound, unrav-
clVd 10y them and its thread rein
CaInatCd in an infinitely better new
hudy-nut one has been woven in 20
years. 1t l. Il loss to the world, but
the collector who began in time can
hardly bC philanthropist enough to
lament the deterioration which has
mad" ii impossible that even the
richest rival shall ever be able to
match his treasures.
There are still Navajocs-2O, 900 of
them and there is still NayCta, and
as there are people who would give
$500 for an absolutely first class
vayCta blanket you might fancy
that the three things would pool
but that is to forget the Navajo. He
is Il barbarian, to whom enough is
an elegant Sut1iCicnCy. BY weaving
the cheap and wrctChCd blankets of
today -wrctchcd, that is, a. works
of art-he can get all thc money he
desires. Why, then, toll a twelve
month over Il blanket for $500
which Is more coin than he can
imagine anyhow when week $
work will bring 50
The art of the Navajo blanket is
as old rs Plymouth rock and almost
as higOtcd. You can tell genuine
just as far as you can see it. 1t is a
curious fact, known to the student,
that when left to himself the Indian
never hlundcrs in color. 1t is only
when too long rubbed with our
shOddy civilization and poisoned
with the ease and chcapneSs of our
accursed anilinc dyes that he perpe
tratcS atrocities. His eye for color
is elemental and absolutely correct.
Red is king, and no bastard magen.
IN, mauVe or lake. but true red
Blue is good because it stands fol
the sky, and green because it is the
grass, and yellow for the sun. and
white for the clouds and snow, anG
these are the only COlOrs found in &
strictly perfect Navajo blanket. re
the Indian color Is Il part of reli
gion, and puppies and pinks aut
other devils cOlOrS he never cal
use until he is fully corrupted. The
blanket of today is the most graphic
witness To tn" falling of of the abo
rlglne that ever came into court. i
Is full of hucs that any decent In
dian knows to he literally infamous
A generation ago Il Navajo would
have been put to death by his PEG
pie if simply found in possession OF
one of these witch COlorS. But tn,
true old blanket was as perfect il
its color scheme as in its weaving
and | have blankets which have fol-
70 years done duty on an adobe floor
OF course at all times these gem.
were comparatively few. Not every
Navajo weaver was a master, anC
not so many could afford Il blanke
whose thread cost Sc II pound III
could "stand' the natural wool a
30 cents. But what has done mos
To make the old time perfect blanke
scarce is the fact that it was almos
invariably buried with its owner
In the Christian gravcyards of tn,
PucblOs, in the barbaric lonely las
cuddling places of Navajo captains
the vast majority of the perfcc
blankets have gone to the worms.
myself have seen ponchos not tire,
collections in the world could mattel
today Swathcd about the corpse anC
covered with six feet of earth, an(
You can fancy if that would make ,
collector gnash his teeth.-"L Land OF
Sunshine.
| American Archaeological Work In Greco.
Another Dpcnlin1.itv of tbis tbno