The Coconino sun., 1927-11-25

the Navajos are by far the most skill
full weavers of which this continent
has any record.
= The clothing of the Spaniards gave
these red men their first knowledge
of woolen cloth But they were not
satisfied with the quality of it. AS
soon as they got possession of this
cloth they raveled it into its original
threads and proceeded to. weave. it4up
into what is one of the wonders of
aboriginal art- the bayeta blanket
The word bayeta is Spanish for baise,
the old European or English flannel,
well known to the world The trading
of this cloth to the Navajo continued
up to about 1880 and good specimen
of bayeta weaving today is almost
Toward the end of the bayeta period.
American traders introduced German
town yarn and many of the specimens
of Navajo weaving are made of this
material Many qualities of this yarn
were used and the finer grades have
stood the test of time and usage both
as to wear and color.
For all the praise that has been
heaped upon the bayeta and the finer
Germantown work, the main factors
in Navajo weaving have not been ade-
quately brought out. While the bay
eta and Germantown work are worthy
of all praise, it is fine weaving, moth
ing more. The Navajos did not dye
the yarn; neither did they spin it.
The rugs of native yarn, -native dyed
and native spun are in many ways
more remarkable. Starting with a
mass of fresh greasy wool, its scour-
ing alone is far from easy, while dye
ing it must have been an almost in
superable problem for the beginners.
The dyeing of yarn is q most important
branch of present-day industrial SCI
enee among the civilized races. Here,
in the native yarn work, the Navajo
with nothing but his bare hands and
the natural substances picked up on
the desert, and without ever hearing
of chemical researches OF the white
man, performed feat of science and
went on about his business. He
wanted those pretty colors and he
made them. He wanted a covering
that would stand the rough usage to
which his life in the open would SUBJ
jeet and he, made it. And he made,
with color fastness and primitive de-
sign, a fabric that for wearing quail
ties is without a peer among the
machine-made textiles of the white
man.
The story of the Navajo rug de
serves to be better known and it may
not be amiss here to set down, In
some detail, a few of the facts in
its creation as they have been per.
sonally observed and recorded by eth
nologists and lovers of the primitive
arts. No one, perhaps, has been q
closer student of the Navajos thar
the late George Wharton James whose
Illuminating volume, "Indian Blankets
and Their Makers" the reader fol
search of more information on the
subject may with profit read. Mr.
James knew the Navajos for more
than thirty years, spending much time
among them, watching them work
engaging in their ceremonies, sleep.
ing in their hogans, eating their food
riding their ponies and listening tC
their legends.
For the facts given below credit
referred to and to reports of tn,
bureau of ethnology.
Navajo rugs are woven almost en-
tirely by the women of the Navajo
tribe on their vast reservation ii
northern Arizona and western New
Mexico. They are made entirely o.
pure, fresh wool clipped from liv'
sheep from the weaver's own flocks
and washed, dyed, spun and woven
entirely by hand. Every step is per
formed by the most primitive methods
The spinning is done by hand with
out the use of a spinning wheel.