The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-27
NAVAJO INDIAN GOODS.
Interesting Facts About the wonder
full Blanket.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
The exhibition and sale of Navajo goods
this week at Frederick Loeser & Co.'S has
attracted so much attention that the fol-
lowing facts about the Navajo blanket,
given by a traveller in THE Land of Sun
shine" Charles F. LOOMS, cannot fail to
prove interesting
THE Navajo Indian of New Mexico and
Arizona cannot vie with the modern Turk
in rugs, but when it comes to blankets he
can beat the world-or, rather, he could,
for 1T is nearly generation since a Navajo
blanket of strictly the first class has been
created. Here is a lost\art-not because the
Navajos no longer know how, but because
they will no longer take the trouble. They
make thousands of blankets still-thick,
coarse, fuzzy things which are the best
camping blankets to be had anywhere, and
most comfortable robes. But Of the superb
old ponchoS and zarapes for chiefs-those
iron fabrics woven from vayeta "a Turkish
cloth imported specially for them and sold
at So a pound unrayeled by them, and its
thread reincarnate in an infinitely better
new body)-not one has been woven in
twenty years. 1t is a loss to the world but
the collector who began in time can hardly
be philanthropist enough to lament the de-
terioration which has made it impossible
that even the richest rival shall ever be
able to match his treasures.
There are still Navajos twenty thou
sand of them) and there is still vayeta;
and as there are people who would give $500
for an absolutely f1rst-class vayeta blanket,
you might fancy that the three things
would pool But that is to forget the Nava-
10. He is a barbarian, to whom enough is an
and wretched blankets of to-day--wretched.
that is, as works of art-he can get all the
money he desires; Why then: toll a twelve
more coin than he can imagine anyhow
when a weeks work will bring IS?
THE art of the Navajo blanket is as old
as Plymouth rock-and almost as bigoted.
You can tell genuine just as far as you
can see it. IT is curious fact known to
the student that when left to himself the
Indian never blunders lin color. 1t is only
when too long rubbed with our shoddy civ
ilization and poisoned with the ease and
cheapness Of our anilne dyes that he per-
petrates atrocities. His eye for color is ele-
mental and absolutely correct. Red is king
and no magenta, mauve or lake, but true
sky, and green because it is the grass, and
yellow for the sun, and white for the clouds
found in a strictly perfect Navajo blanket.
To the Indian color is a part of religion,
and puppies. and pinks, and other colors he
never can use until he is fully corrupted.
The blanket Of to-day is the most graphic
witness to the falling off of the aborigine
that ever came into court it is full of hues
that any decent Indian knows to be liter
ally infamous generation ago a Navajo
would have been put to death by his people
if simply found in possession of one of
those witch colors. But the true old blank
ct was as perfect in its color scheme as in
its weaving-and 1 have blankets which
have for seventy-f1ve years done duty on an
s'Of course, at all times, these gems were
comparatively few. Not every Navajo
weaver was a master, ana not so many
could afford a blanket whose thread cost
Sc a pound as could stand the natural wool
at 80 cents But what has done the most to
make the old-time blanket scarce is the
fact that it was almost invariably buried
with its owner. In the Christian graveyards
of the Pueblos. in the barbarc. lonely, last
cuddling places of Navajo captains. the
vast majority of the perfect blankets have
gone to the worms. l myself have seen
ponchos not three collections in the world
could match to-day swathed about a corpse
and covered with six feet of earth, and
you can fancy if that would make a col
-se o1f1