The times., 1900-12-30
A NAVAJO BLANKET REVIVAL.
Miners in the Worth Give the In
dustry n New Start.
CFrou, the St. Louis Giobe-Democrat)


From the ST. Louis Globe-Democratl
| Through the excessive demand by Alaska
miners for blankets of extraordinary
warmth, the native weavers Of the Navato.
[ nation are just now in the enjoyment Of q
| thriving industry THIS peculiar hand
wrought fabric manufactured by the In
/ dams in question. though hitherto widely
[ celebrated as curiosity. has never ng-
ured extensively as an article OF commerce..
1 But from present Indications unless Yam
| kee ingenuity. with its accustomed re-
| sourcefulness- should produce a machine
| made substitute at consequent decrease
| in cost, the future possibilities tor this
| unique commodity can hardly be oyerestt-
7 mated
| The Navajo Indians occupy a reservation
| representing an area OF sev6,uSS acres Of
| land in northern Arizona and New Mexico
| The tribe. which numbers upward OF II. coo
| members, Is in many respects one Of the
| most highly civilized among the remain
/ ing North American aboriginal rsces.
Their chief pursuit Is stock raising. to
/; which their country, though largely Of .
sterile character, Is in places peculiarly
adapted.
| 1t is estimated that at least 1.oo0. goo
, sheep are owned by the Nayaics. who
maintain them principally for the WOOL,
which they make into blankets. Ths
methods employed. both in the prepar-
ing the material and in the construction
OF their fabrics, are exceedingly primitive,
The wool, after being rudely carded, In
spun by means OF a spindle somewhat Ie-
sembling a boys top but much larger,
the stem usually measuring about six
teen Inches The lower point has pre-
viously been subjected to a hardening lro-
cess which answers even more effectually
than metal tip In spinning the wool
the Navajo woman first attaches the
! ~frar
ing the former in the left hand. Then.
taking the upper end OF the implement
between her right thumb and forefnger,
she stands 1t vertically in the centre of
a wocden BOWL. and, giving it a whirl as
boy would his top. proceeds to draw out
her thread in the usual way. The mate
rial thus prepared. though by no means
as fine as that spun by more modern pro-
eesses, answers the particular purpose
for which it is intended quite as we'll. II
not better
When a certain quantity of the wool
has been drawn out the spindle is twirlsd
in the opposite direction. with the object
Of rewinding the thread more evenly.
The prevalent colors ussd by the Nava-
jos in their textiles are black, red, blue,
and yellow. The dyes for these are pro-
cured in variety Of ways. but represent
mainly the juices of certain Indigenous
plants. Again. TIE brighter shades, such
as scarlet and blue. are often obtained by
macerating strips Of Spanish cochineaI
and other dyee goods. procured in frontier
towns. Ordinary indigo, specially pre-
pared, is likewise extensively used. Where
black occurs It is usually the natural wool
Of the black sheep. A certain flower pe-
culiar to the arid Districts In the South
west produces the vivid veflnyy to which
the Navajos are so partial
The looms on which the blankets are
II.
merely of two beams. one suspended
against vertical surface, the other fas-
tened near the ground the warp being
stretched perpendiculariy from one to the
other. Between the double warp two stats
cross and reoross, opening the way for the
shuttle. This latter is merely a short
stick about which the woolen thread is
wound In working the operator sits on
the ground and as the blanket is woven
rolls ID about the lower beam.
The patterns generally affected in these
blankets are regular geometrieal figures,
such as diamonds. oyals, and various strip
ings. or late. however. other ideas bor-
rowed from designs introduced by the
whitss have been incorporated in their
wares. One of the largest collections of
Navajo blankets known is owned by In
dian Agent Bleyer. of the district in ques-
ton, among his specimens. being some
that weigh City pounds each. The value
of a Navajo blanket is generally estimated
according to its weight. This. until
within the. past year. was at the rate Of
81 a pound. but at present the price has
advanced 10 double that figure. The usual
weight of blanket is about twenty pounds.
which at the current quotation would place
the average valuation at $40. The demand
for Navajo blankets for several months past
by the miners of the Yukon and Klondiks
districts far exceeds the output their i'm
perviousness to the extreme cold Of ths
north being unequaled by any other fabric
they are practically indestructibie many
Gs them having been owned and constantly
used by the Indians for centuries.
Where the Nayaios originally acquired
their weaving process has never been
definitely agreed upon. Certain minor in
dications point to their having derived
the art, centuries ago. from the Mexi-
cans. But this the Indiana themselves
strenuously deny. The hlstoryl OF tho
tribe. moreover. shows that at no time
in the past did any affiilation exist bo-
tween It's members and the Mexicans On
the contrary, up to the middle Of the clos
ing century the most bitter and incessant
warfare WAS waged hetween the two
races, all prisoners when. captured by
either faction being subjected to slavery
Certain 1t IL that no such blankets as
those made by the Navajos arc today
by the Mexicans-er any
other people. for that matter-which fact
would seem sufficient to entitis ths fe.=er
to undivided credit for their hsndicrxft.