Diné
be' ííná Announces New Officers and
Directors, Selects Sheep is Life Celebration Date
Window Rock, AZ
Diné be' ííná (the Navajo
Lifeway
organization) selected new officers and directors at a meeting held on
January 13 in Window Rock, AZ. Please
contact DBI President Roy
Kady
regarding programs, resources and collaborations. The
organization also notes that only the officers and directors are
authorized to act on behalf of the organization.
Officers:
Roy Kady,
President
Jay
Begay, Jr., Vice-President
Grace
Boyne, Secretary
Beverly
Allen, Treasurer
Directors:
Rachael Dahozy
Ron Garnanez
Barbara Greyeyes
Diné
be' ííná has also announced that this
year's Sheep
is Life Celebration will be held on June 16-17 in Tsaile, AZ, with
pre celebration workshops to be held June 10-15. We'll keep
you
updated as plans for this year's workshops and celebration develop.
See you in Tsaile!
|
Spin
Off Schedule for 2007 Announced
Teec Nos Pos, AZ
Sheep is Life has announced the 2007 schedule for their
popular
Spin Off events. A Spin Off is a community event open to anyone
interested in fiber arts or animal husbandry. Attendees can
expect to meet with fellow fiber enthusiasts and are invited to share
their expertise in both indigenous and non-indigenous spinning,
weaving, dyeing and animal care techniques. Please contact
one of
the event coordinators below if you have presentation that may be of
interest to one of the groups. Participants are asked to
bring a
folding chair and a potluck dish to share with other attendees.
All Spin Off events are alcohol and drug free (but you can
bring
chocolate) and no admission is charged.
1. 1st
SUNDAY of each month, Dibé Nitsaa Spin Off (Teec Nos
Pos, Red Mesa, Sweetwater, AZ., Bluff, UT, Beclahbeto, NM),
contact Roy Kady at (928)656-3498, roykady@dinewoven.com
2. 2nd
SUNDAY of each month, Ganado WARP Spin
Off (Ganado, Indian Wells, Steamboat, Keams
Canyon, AZ.), contact Ilene Long at (928)245-0500, email inlong57@hotmail.com
3. 3rd
SUNDAY of each month, Tsaile Weavers Spin Off (Tsaile,
Wheatfields, Chinle, AZ.), contact Beverly Allen at (928)724-6948,
email ballen@dinecollege.edu
4. Last
SUNDAY of each month, Natani Spin
Off (Waterflow, Shiprock, Sanostee, Littlewater,
Table Mesa, NM, Red Valley,
AZ.); contact TahNibaa Naataani at (505)793-4091, email weavinginbeauty@yahoo.com
5.
Being organized, City Slickers Spin Off (metro Phoenix); contact Mary
Walkeri at (602)370-2875, email mary.walker@weavinginbeauty.com
|
|
Smoki Museum Holds First Winter
Auction
Prescott,
AZ The
Smoki Museum held their first winter auction of February 10.
The
auction featured over 300 new and vintage items, including a
spectacular Germantown blanket and a tapestry by 20th century weaving
icon Daisy Taugelchee (see picture at right). At this
particular
auction, the newer pieces sold faster than older ones, which is a
change from the summer Smoki Museum audience. Weavers Emily
Malone and Kallie Musial attended and it was a great chance to meet
collectors and also those new to Navajo weaving.
Auctioneers Hank Blair and Bruce Burnham will be back in Prescott on
July 27th and 28th for a two event which features cowboy and Native
American art as well as weavings. Please see the Events page
or the
R.B.
Burnham web site for more information.
Here's
a detail from a Germantown blanket that dates back to the 1880's.
This blanket was found in St. John's, Arizona and was
repaired
and cleaned by Alexanian's in Albuquerque, NM. (photo by Mary
Walker)
|
|
This
tapestry by
Daisy Taugelchee was sold at the recent Smoki Museum auction.
The
rug was owned by Gallup trader Tobe Turpen for over 30 years and was
woven in the 1970's. (photos by Mary Walker) |
More Information on an Unusual
Rug (and Auction Strategy 101)
Tempe, AZ In
our last update, we showed the rug at right, a stunning pictorial woven
map of the Navajo Nation. The rug was entered at the Hubbell
Auction late in a very long day, and did not sell. Rug dealer
Sherry Branch of Echoes Past to Present was kind enough to let us know
that she bought the rug after the auction, but it is part of her
personal collection and not for sale.
Sherry followed up on the weaver information, and discovered that the
rug was actually woven by Arlene Anderson's mother, whom Sherry had not
been able to identify. Arlene's mother wove the rug as a
wedding present for her son, but had it placed in the auction when the
wedding was called off and her son married another woman. The
color variation in the background is called abrash, and in this case is
reported to result from differences in the wool color between
shearings. Abrash is very common in vintage and handspun
weavings.
Sherry reports that although she knew the rug was magnificent, she was
so tired after a full day at the auction that she didn't realize what
the pattern actually was until about three hours after she bought it.
For an experienced collector and dealer like Sherry, the lack
of a preview wasn't a problem. For a neophyte collector,
however, buying an unpreviewed piece can be a dangerous gamble.
We know a certain web page manager who bought an unpreviewed
rug at Crownpoint and found that the weaver had cut the yarns rather
than breaking them, and blunt ends were popping out all over the place.
All is well, however, and the rug is living a happy and
useful life as an exhibit on both proper weaving technique and wise
auction strategy.
|
Another usual pictorial at the Friends
of
Hubbell Auction is this stunning depiction of Diné Bnkeyah
(the
Navajo homeland). by Arlene Anderson of Nazlini, AZ. The
reservation covers 27,000 square miles (about the size of West Virginia
and a little smaller than Ireland).
Photo by
Joe Newman and provided courtesy of Doren Indritz
|
|
Weaving
Scholarship Opportunity for Navajo Youth
Tucson, AZ
From Lynda Teller Pete
"My
sister Barbara Teller Ornelas and I, Lynda Teller Pete teach Navajo
Weaving for two weeks in July at the Idyllwild Arts - Summer Program in
Idyllwild, California. Last year a young Navajo woman from
Page, Arizona had a chance to take our class. She wove a beautiful rug
during the 2 weeks of class. It was an honor to mentor this young
Navajo woman, we hope she keeps up her weaving and re-introduces this
traditional art to her family.
Idyllwild Arts offers a 2 week Navajo Weaving Scholarship for a Navajo
Youth to take our class for this
Summer Program in July, 2007. We are seeking a Navajo youth 18 years of
age. The family must meet
income guidelines to qualify for this weaving scholarship. Idyllwild
Arts is located in Idyllwild, California, up in the San Jacinto
Mountains above Palm Springs, CA. Tuition and boarding expenses are
paid by the school. Travel expenses to and from California are paid by
the Scholarship recipient. The 2 week class will be from July 2-6, 2007
and July 9-13, 2007 from 9 am to 4 pm. A weaving loom, weaving tools
and wool are provided for the student. These items may be purchased by
the student at the end of the summer program. The student will learn
how to warp, learn about designs, color combinations and basic weaving
techniques.
The campus is an enclosed campus. The student will have a dorm room in
Family Housing with an option to switch during the second week to
student housing with an assigned chaperone. There is a cafeteria,
bookstore, a library, a pool and other fun things to do on campus.
If you need additional information, please contact me via email, ltellerpete@yahoo.com"
To apply:
STEP 1. Fill out the application.
The emphasis on the essay is why the youth would like to learn how to
weave.
Applications are due on April 13, 2007; no late applications will be
accepted. Mail application to:
Lynda
Pete
2142 Irving Street
Denver, CO 80211
STEP 2. A committee of 4 will review all applications and the winner
will be notified on May 4, 2007 and 2 runner ups, in case the winner
does not follow through.
STEP 3. The Scholarship recipient will contact Idyllwild Arts- Summer
Program to complete the School's application and confirm that they fall
under the $35,000.00 income guideline limit.
STEP 4. The Scholarship recipient will make plans for travel to
Idyllwild, CA on July 1, and travel home on July 14, 2007
STEP 5. The Scholarship recipient will fill out an evaluation form
during the second week of Weaving class. |
|
Idyllwild Arts Center is offering a weaving scholarship opportunity for
Navajo youth.
(photo by Mary Walker)
|
|
This page is
dedicated to the art of weaving as practiced
by the Navajo people of what is now the Southwestern United
States.
This is also the home of
the Weaving in
Beauty Textile Tour and the Navajo rug
doctor (Mary
Walker) in case you have questions regarding repairs or care of your
textiles.
