Navajo and Pueblo Weaving Buyer's and Owner's Page

• How to Identify a Genuine Navajo Textile
• Evaluating a Rug or other Textile
  
• Pueblo Weaving
• Buying a Rug or Textile
  
• Reputable Dealers
  
• Textile Care
• Weaving in Beauty Policy on Textile Evaluations
  

Pictorical Guide to Identifying a Genuine Navajo Rug
1. Most Navajo rugs do not have a fringe.  By most, I mean 99.5%.  If the piece you're looking at has a fringe, you ask that seller how they determined that the piece was Navajo made.  If the answer is "Well, the person who sold it to me told me it was Navajo", run, do not walk, away as fast as you can, holding on to your wallet. Navajo rugs are woven on vertical loom and the weaving fills the entire warp.  This accounts for the relatively high price of Navajo weavings because they are difficult to finish.  There are two exceptions to the "no fringe" rule.  Germantown rugs have a fringe that is added on after the rug is woven.  They are very rare and there's a good picture of one of them below.  The fringe on an antique Germantown may be partially worn away, or gone altogether, but this does not hurt the structure of the textile, since the fringe is an add-on.  The other exception to the rule is a Gallup throw.  These small pieces about 18" by 24" and are woven in the Gallup, New Mexico area.   A typical Gallup throw is woven on a cotton warp, and the weaving is cut off and knotted rather than finished in the traditional way so there is a fringe on one end only.  There are thousands of Gallup throws out there that were sold to train passengers along the Sante Fe railway.  They make a nice addition to a collection and usually will cost $40 to $50, although I've seen them go for $250 on eBay.
Here is a rug being woven.  The warp is filled from bottom to top so there is no fringe.	Here's a section of a Germantown sampler showing the fringe which is added after the weaving is completed.  This is a genuine Navajo rug, but they are relatively rare.
2.  Navajo rugs do not have ridges at the ends.   On occasion, someone who is trying to pass a rug off as Navajo or just make it look more Navajo will take the time to actually run the warps back into the rug to eliminate the fringe, but this creates ridges in the ends of the piece.  If you separate the weft yarns slightly, you'll see the doubled up warps.  The next time I see a good example of this, I'll add a picture of it.
3. Navajo rugs often have a side selvage cord.  Navajo weavers often use a twisted side selvage cord to help them maintain a straight edge.  The presence or absence of a side selvage cord is not as definite an indicator as a fringe, but if the cord is there, it builds the case that it's Navajo.  Mexican weavers maintain straight sides on their pieces by using three or four warps together, or even a single very thick warp or even rope.  If you see a rug with outside warps that are visibly thicker, look at the ends of the rug for fringe or for evidence that the warp ends have been sewn back in to eliminate the fringe.	Here's a detail of the side selvage cord in a rug.
4. Navajo rugs have a wool warp.  If you're not an expert in fibers, it may be difficult for you to tell what kind of warp was used, but in general cotton and linen are smoother than wool.  Wool is, well, wooly.  It has little fibers that stick out from the warp threads.  Remember that there is one genuine Navajo rug (the Gallup throw) that is woven with a cotton warp.  Also bear in mind that in some transitional pieces, a cotton warp may have been all the weaver could come by.  Look at the other indicators to determine the authenticity of the piece.	Here's a close-up of a typical Navajo warp.  Although it looks fairly smooth, it has lots of fine hairs when looked at closely.
Here's a nice Zapotec rug.  You can see the fringe at the bottom.  This is the type of rug that is most often confused with a Navajo weaving, and you can see why if you don't know about the fringe.  The yarns for these rugs are often handspun and handyed and there is a great deal of skill involved in weaving them; they're just not Navajo.  The color choices are not typically Navajo, and there is markedly less pattern than you would usually see in a typical Navajo piece that is the same size.	Here is Jennie Slick with a small finished rug.  It's easy to see that it has no fringe, and the side selvage cord shows up well against the dark wool in the background.  This rug has all of the hallmarks of a genuine Navajo rug.  It is all wool, including the warp, has no fringe and has a side selvage cord.

How to Evaluate a Rug (and other textiles)
Take a good look at the rug you are considering.  Does it lie flat on the floor?  Is the design balanced?  Any warps showing, especially at the ends?  Fold the rug in half.  Does the center of the design fall in the center of the rug?  How complex is the pattern? Look at the edges.  Are they reasonably straight?   Is the weaving even, are the lines crisp, are the stripes straight? How many rows per inch are there?  This is an indicator of how much time the weaver had to spend working on the piece.  Is the rug handspun?  Handspun rugs are quite rare today,  because it will just about quadruple the time it takes to make a rug and most collectors won't pay a premium for it.  If the weaver tells you it is handspun, it is.  If the handspun claim is important to you, make the dealer put it in writing and get an expert to take a look at the rug.  If you are dealing with the people on my list, don't worry.  They know who produced the rug, and the circumstances under which it was woven.   All of these factors go into the total value of the piece.  Don't discount your personal taste.  There are some rugs that just "talk" to you. 

I encourage people to judge a piece based on the price per square foot.  When you look at the price this way, it helps to provide you with a basis to make a decision between pieces.  Two Grey Hills tapestries have the highest price per square foot, and Gallup throws are probably the lowest on a price per square footage basis, yet both are typically handspun and handcarded.  The difference is that the threadcount in Two Grey Hills tapestries is generally over 80-110 rows per inch, the designs are quite complex, and the weavers are often well known.  Gallup thows have a thread count of about 12-16 rows per inch, simple designs, quick finishing methods, and are woven by unknown weavers.

If you are interested in acquiring older rugs, there are some other considerations that you'll need to keep in mind. Consider the source.  How much do you know about the history of the rug?  Being well acquainted with the current owner is very different from finding a rug in a yard sale.  What claims are being made about the rug?  Here are a couple that can't be true:

Claim: “This Two Grey Hills was made in 1880.”  Fact:  Two Grey Hills and other bordered designs (in fact regional designs themselves) started after 1910.   I have seen only one bordered rug that can be reliably dated to the 1890's; it was recorded in a journal and the weaver wove the date into the rug.
Claim: “This rug dates back to the early 1800’s.”  Fact:  Before the 1870’s Navajo's produced wearing blankets exclusively.  This continued until they returned from Fort Sumner.  Nothing that is an out and out rug is older than that.

Look for moth and other insect damage in older pieces.  You certainly want to eliminate any active insect infestations before bringing a rug into your home. See the care section for information on eliminating insects.  If a textile is damaged, you may want to consider repairing it.  There are two schools of thought on this.  One, of course, is to preserve the textile in good condition.  It's kind of an Anglo way of looking at it.  Many traditional Navajos believe that the rug, like all things, has a life of its own, and the textile should live that life and be allowed to decay naturally.
 
Old Navajo and Pueblo textiles can be a true bargain.  Lots of people don't recognize their value, and I have even met a couple of people who have had whole collections literally given to them.  I also happen to personally believe that they sometimes seek out people who will take good care of them!

Embroidery sashes are very difficult to come by.   The most likely place to find embroidery sashes is in shops and galleries that deal in antiquities.  The sashes themselves are woven out of natural colored cotton, with supplementary wool embroidery added subsequent to weaving.  The traditional embroidery colors are red, green and black.  Mantas and other Pueblo textiles are almost impossible to find except as antuquities. 

Sash belts are more common, and today some are made of acrylic yarns rather than the traditional wool.  Usually, sashes are red, green, and black wool worsted which is respun.  Good sash belts are very difficult to make, and a well woven example made using wool yarns can be quite costly. 

There are very few Pueblo weavers who produce items for commercial sale and none that we know who have websites.  Sue Dailey of Laguna Pueblo has done sash belts in the past, but I haven't seen Sue for a few years.  You can try contacting her at P.O. Box 1353, Paguate, NM 87040.   I was also recently contacted by Colin Livingston (Laguna Pueblo/Diné) who weaves  black mantas, kilts, white mantas, maidens blankets, embroidery sashes and sash belts.  Colin does do some commision work, and I can get you in touch with him if you would like.

1. Choose a reputable dealer or deal directly with the weaver.  Dealing directly with a weaver is becoming easier as more people move to urban areas.  Dealing directly with many of weavers still living on the reservation is still difficult.  Many homes on the reservation are remote, and unless you’ve got a truck, a four wheeler, or a horse, you may be facing some tough driving.  In addition, 70% of the homes don't have phones, many weavers don't speak English readily, and they have no ready stock of rugs, generally, to sell you.  Weaving on commission is becoming more common, but only for top weavers.   The accepted system of the weaver bringing the rug to market still allows the weaver ultimate personal independence.  It's up to the weaver.  Dealers who are reputable attract rugs from good weavers because they pay the weaver a fair price for her work. 

Check the links on our home page for weavers who deal directly with clients and who do commission work. 

There are also four Ebay dealers whom I have found to be ethical and totally honest in their auctions.  Their eBay names are:

These are by no means the only dealers out there who are honest, but these are all people that I know personally and have done business with.   None of these businesses or people have given me any money, although it's possible that I may have a coffee mug or two sitting around with their names on them.  I think it is safe to say that I have spent way more with each one of these dealers than I have coffee mugs or t-shirts.

If you are a dealer in Navajo or Pueblo textiles and would like to be included in my list,  please contact me.  Please be ready to provide verifiable references who can vouch for your business practices.  Long-time readers of this page may notice that Hubbell Trading Post is back on the dealer list.  Hubbell has gone through many changes, but their commitment to fair and ethical treatment of both weavers and buyers remains constant.  

2. Be realistic in your price expectations.  Large rugs and other textiles take several months or even a year to weave.  How much do you make in four months?  A rug measuring 4’ by 6’ by a top weaver like Mary Lee Begay will take about four months and will sell in the $5000 to $8000 price range.  Another way of looking at this is in price per square foot.  Mrs. Begay's rugs sell for $208 to $350 per square foot.  If she made and sold three rugs at her top price in a year, she'd make $24,000.  Most weavers can't command her prices, and $100 to $150 per square foot is about what you'll pay for good work and design.  Some regional styles tend to be higher priced.  Two Grey Hills are the most expensive, followed by Teec Nos Pos, and Ganado Red.  Expect to pay a premium for rugs by well known weavers.  

3.  Head for the auction!
If you can make a decision in a hurry and aren't interested in museum quality, nothing beats a rug auction for building up a rug collection.  The granddaddy of these is one Friday of every month (sometimes the second, sometimes the third) in Crownpoint, NM.  The auction is held in the school gym, and the weavers start bringing in the rugs about 2 PM.   There are usually about 250 to 300 rugs in the auction, which starts at 7.  Although the rugs are in numbered lots, the lots are offered up in no particular order.  If you are interested in a rug, you'll just have to wait until it comes up.  Bring some coffee.  If the rug doesn't fetch the weaver's minimum price, she can and will refuse to sell it.  The Hubbell Trading Posts also holds auctions twice a year.  See the Events page for information on auctions.  At auction, prices can be as low as $35 to $50 per square foot, but they do go higher.  I usually advise people not to buy a piece that they have not previewed unless they know the weaver. 

It is not always possible to accurately determine the authenticity of a textile over the Internet,.  If you want to be sure you are buying authentic pieces, read everything you can about Navajo textiles, and look at and handle genuine examples every time you get the chance and deal with people who have a good reputation.   

Here are some links that you may find useful if you want to learn more about this type of weaving.
 

•  Annotated Navajo Weaving Bibliography
•  Events Featuring Indigenous Weaving
•  Where to Learn Indigenous Weaving Techniques
•  Home Page

Please drop me a line.
mary.walker@weavinginbeauty.com