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- Dazzled Eye Navajo Rug Weaving Exhibit
The eyed dazzler style of weaving emerged in the last quarter of the 1880's during a period of difficult transition for the Navajo. They were adjusting to their new life on the reservation after a devastating four-year forced confinement by the United States government at Bosque Redondo, a desolate area on the Pecos River in eastern New Mexico.
During Bosque Redondo, nearly one in four people would die due to malnutrition, exposure or rampant illness. in 1868, they were allowed to return to their ancestral lands in Northeastern Arizona and Northwestern New Mexico. However, they were no longer able to provide for themselves without assistance from the U.S. government; Keith Carson had destroyed their crops, poisoned their water holes, stolen their horses and killed their shop years earlier in an effort to starve the Navajo into submission.
These radical hardships affected all areas of Navajo life, including their weaving. Since the majority of Navajo weavers no longer had their Churro sheep on the reservation, most Navajo women could no longer clean, card and spin their own yarns, which forced them to search elsewhere for materials. In the 1870's , there were two main sources of material available on the reservation for weaving: Germantown yarns and unraveled yarns from coarse American flannel cloth called Bayeta. Germantown yarns were synthetically-dyed, commercial yarns.
A catalog was printed to preserve the exhibit, as some pieces find new homes.
Weavings featured in the Dazzled Eye Exhibit which are available for sale are listed below. As always, if you have any questions please call us at 520-455-5020.
Dazzled Eye Navajo Rug Weaving Exhibit
Book: The Dazzled Eye
Books
Book: The Dazzled Eye
During the past 200 years, Navajo weaving has come a long way, from the shoulder, to the floor, to a place of distinction on the gallery wall. The Dazzled Eye is, we feel, a visionary exhibition of Navajo eye dazzler and optical weavings from the 1880's forward. It offers a peek into the imagination of the creative Navajo weaver. We wish to ex...
Rio Grande Style Navajo Weaving : Historic : PC 252 : 47.5" x 84" (3'11.5" x 7")
$ 10,500.00
Rio Grande style Navajo blanket has hand spun wool and variegated dyes. It is likely this weaving was for a Hispanic household, this Navajo weaver intentionally variegated her dyes to simulate Rio Grande dye techniques, which offered dimension not typically seen in Navajo weaving in that time frame. This weaving was part of an Exhibition showing...
Crystal Navajo Weaving : Historic : GHT 2101 : 59″ x 72″ : (4'11" x 6')
$ 22,500.00
Crystal Navajo Rug. This is a piece for those who love Art Deco, Navajo Weaving, or Greek designs. This piece was woven in the 1920s and is testament to exquisite craftsmanship! It is very well woven. The large outer border is done in interlocking hooks in black and white and surrounds a quiet pool of natural brown and then we have a refined ...
Late Classic Navajo Serape : Historic Navajo Textile : PC 67
$ 36,000.00
Navajo Late Classic Serape for sale. Red is raveled American flannel with three colors of handspun and hand dyed blue and green, rabbitbrush yellow and natural white and some Bayeta red , Merino wool. This beautiful blanket reflects Hispanic design influence. Close to Mint Condition: Slight fading on one side and the tassels are gone. S...
Historic Navajo Serape with Spider Woman Hole: PC 258 : 57″ x 75.5″ (4'9" x 5'11.5")
Serape
Historic Navajo Serape with Spider Woman Hole: PC 258 : 57″ x 75.5″ (4'9" x 5'11.5")
$ 85,000.00
This extremely rare serape blanket was woven with Saxony. And even more remarkable it comes with a Spiderwoman hole in its center. This Serape has Indigo dyed warp, like this textile has, was only made available at Bosque Redondo and Fort Wingate to a limited number of Navajo weavers who were incarcerated for the purpose of weaving for the ...