essay

Navajo ceremonial-pattern weaving and its relationship to drypainting

Navajo religion and culture: selected views (17)Published In 1982 • Pages: 68-74

By: Rodee, Marian E..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Although the origins of ceremonial-pattern weaving are admittedly obscure, Rodee suggests that they were probably derived '…to provide ethnologists and other interested visitors with a record of a drypainting [sandpainting] that was a bit finer and more decorative than the usual drawing' (p. 72). Prior to 1883, when the first ethnographers began to work with the Navajo, no ceremonial rug is known. Around 1910 commercialization of the design form depicting the Ye'iis and other religious and mythological figures, began in earnest. Traders frequently suggested to the Navajos particular forms which they believed would be more appealing to White customers. The bulk of the source describes the various changes in designs, materials and values of these rugs from the early 20th century to the early 1980s.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Woven and other interworked fabrics
Representative art
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Navajo
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2004
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southwest and Basin
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 1986
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
ca. 1890s-1960
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Navajo Indian Reservation; New Mexico, Arizona, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Marian E. Rodee
Includes bibliographical references (p. 74)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
81086446
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Navajo Indians