Arizona republican., 1901-03-25
NAvAHO BLANKET WEAVING
Great Growth of the Industry Among
 Northern Indians.

Blanket weaving among the Navajos does not appear to be waning indus try. On the contrary there is every reason to believe that more blankets are being manufactured now than ever before in the history of the Navajo people says the Native American. In times past they made blankets for their individual use; now a wide field has been opened for their wares and Navajo goods can be bought almost as easily in New York city as in Gallup, x. NJ
 The Navajo people undoubtedly learned the art of weaving from the early Spanish settlers. Their looms are of the most primitive style. Their patterns or designs were originally as primitive The old-style Navajo pat tern is yet to be seen occasionally but is too often cast aside for more nitric ate designs and more varied coloring Yet sonic of the early weaving of the Navajos bears a reputation for being of the very finest character. Prices for such blankets range extremely hign out of proportion, in truth, to the amount of labor involved in their weaving or the quality of the wool used. When $500 or Sl000 is mention O ed as the price for Navajo blanket .uf any character-well. the figures range well up into the fabulous
 Many of the blankets made a hun dred years ago were not woven from wool grown end spun from native sheep. In those days the spanish i'm ported sort of cloth known as wal leta." This Wal bought by the Na- vajo8 and raveled carefully. Having thus secured wooden yarn, the Navajo began a fabric of native composition. In this manner the blankets spoken of so enthusiastically by collectors were made by the Navajo people
 Later on the Yankee trader appeared - on the scene He did not have val 1eta cloth to sell but what was equally to the purpose. he had cords upon upon cords of Germantown wool This suited the purpose of the Navajo blan- ket weaver just as well in'fact, better, as it did not involve the tedious pro cess of ravelng the valleta cloth. So from the standpoint of Jeremiah, there has been a deCadence in the art of blanket weaving among the Maya jos. Yet the reverse is actually the case
 The colors of Navajo blankets were originally restricted to red. black and yellow. The latter was secured by coloring with vegetable dyes. Black wool as well as white f produced by the sheep themselves. Red was se- cured from the valieta cloth. Nowa- days aniline dyes are used to some ex- tent, and more varied coloring is the result.
 In the shearing season of lS9S-99 a total of 1000, GOO pounds of wool was se- cured by the. Navajo flock owners, These are figures secured by the gov ernment officials and traders located on 2he Navajo reservation, It can there fore be depended upon as reasonably correct It shows that the fleece on the sheep owned by the Navajos does not average up very well in weight, However that may be. during the samr season probably $50, GOO worth of blank cts were manufactured by the Navajos, for which they secured an average price of eight cents per pound. The rate secured by.the weavers in the sue CeediNg year was somewhat higher but it Is stated by reliable persons that not more than 90 per cent as much wool was marketed as in the preceding year.