Book

Navajo weaving: three centuries of change

School of American Research Press ; Distributed by University of Washington PressSanta Fe, N.m.Published In 1985 • Pages: x, 139

By: Kent, Kate Peck, School Of American Research (santa Fe, N.m.).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This document deals with the origin and evolution of Navajo weaving from about 1650 to the 1980s. For descriptive purposes, Kent classifies Navajo weaving into three major periods: the Classic, from 1650 to 1865; the Transition, from 1865 to 1895; and the Rug, from 1895 to the 1980s. During the Classic period Navajo weavers directed much of their time and energy toward producing clothing for their own people. The Transition period from the middle to late nineteenth century involved less production of clothing for themselves, and more, especially in terms of blankets and serapes, for trade with their traditional customers and with the Anglos. With the introduction of new aniline dyes and ready-made clothing and commercial cloth during the late nineteenth century, the need for loom produced woven products was greatly lessened, and thus turned the attention of the weavers to production for an off-reservation market. This period, which the author refers to as the Rug period, essentially involved the conversion of blankets to rugs for the Anglo market. This study describes the myriad inflluences brought to bear on Navajo weavers over the centuries, and the creative ways in which new ideas and materials were assimilated into the textile industry.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Artifact and archive collections
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Pastoral activities
Wool production
Woven and other interworked fabrics
Visual arts
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
Book
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; 2003
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
1800-1980s
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Navajo Reservation, Arizona, New Mexico, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Kate Peck Kent ; with a catalogue of the School of American Research collection
Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-135) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
85010875
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Navajo Indians