Weaving in Beauty

Scenes from a typical auction at Crownpoint

Tempe, AZ  I just got home from a class in Window Rock, but I think that the weavers bringing their rugs to the Crownpoint Rug Auction could probably use all the support that they can get this month.  That’s right, I’m going to Crownpoint tomorrow.  One look at the picture collage above will show you why.  Since I can’t support the weavers all by myself, it would be great to see you there too.  If you can’t make it, I’ll take a lot of pictures so that you can plan your own trip sometime soon.  After all, this is a mission from Spider Woman.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

A young volunteer studies the auctioneering techniques of Wayne Connell (center) and Delbert Autry (right)

Crownpoint, NM This month’s Crownpoint Rug Auction was well attended by buyers and weavers.  While not all of the rugs were sold, an estimated 75% of them did.  The Spider Rock Girls had a booth in the crowded hallway outside the auction and reported that they sold everything that they brought, but most went for their reserve price.  That result was fairly typical for the evening.  There was a gratifying show of first time auction attendees and I overheard several say they were planning return visits, which is a good “leading indicator” for the coming year.

Notable pieces in the auction were the Ganado Red and Klagetoh Red rugs by Frances Burghorn (whose name I hope I’ve spelled correctly), a weaver whose work I hadn’t seen at Crownpoint before.  Frances’ work has the quality that you’d expect to find at higher end trading posts, but is coming into the auction venue as traders have slowed their buying and are offering less when they do buy.  You can see Frances’ rugs below.  Both sold at around the $1000-$1500 mark, a bargain for the quality of the weaving.

Klagetoh Red by Frances Burghorn

Ganado Red weaving by Frances Burghorn

In all, auction manager Christina Ellsworth estimated that there were about 200 rugs in the auction, which ended at around 9:15 PM.   I was able to purchase three rugs for the Mercantile: Alice Van Winkle Thompson’s Ram’s Head Moki design which is pictured below (Mercantile price: $630), one of Nellie Glasses handspun rugs (Mercantile price: $390) and a small Rena Robertson Faces piece (Mercantile price: $350).  I’ll get those listed later today or tomorrow morning.   The next Crownpoint auction will be on  Friday, January 14th.  Previews start at 4 PM and the bidding begins around 7 PM.  The auction accepts cash, personal checks drawn on U.S. banks and travelers checks.  I’ve in included a few more pictures from the auction in the gallery below.

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I’m going to take advantage of the near 80 degree weather to get some rug washing done, so I’ll let you enjoy the pictures and see you later.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

The handsome weaving above was offered at the Smoki Museum Navajo rug auction last weekend.  It’s the earliest depiction of a Ye’i Bi Chei dancer that I’ve seen and I thought you might enjoy a look at it too.  It dates to the late 1890′s or early 1900′s and is done in the style of a weaver named Yanapah Simpson.  Yanapah was married to a trader and lived in Farmington, New Mexico, but traders in Lukachukai, Arizona and Shiprock, New Mexico were also known to have encouraged the weaving of figural rugs during this period.  The dancer is surrounded by Valero stars, an influence from Rio Grande weaing, and a very lifelike deer.  The weaving skill in this piece is phenomenal, with crisp, straight lines and sides and wonderful detailing in the kilt and deer figure.

These pieces were quite controversial at the time with many Navajo people believing that depictions of deities and ceremonies should be off limits as weaving subjects, particularly when they were offered for sale.  This belief still persists among many weavers and those who weave Ye’i and Sandpainting rugs often have ceremonies done to protect them from any ill effects.  On the other hand, I’ve also heard at least one weaver downplay the potential for trouble, saying “I’m a Presbyterian, so I don’t believe it’s a problem”.  For most Navajo people, however, these figures remain very powerful and a recent exhibit of Sandpainting rugs carried a warning that traditional Navajos might find the display offensive.

The Ye’i Bi Chei are also called Winter Gods and Grandfather Spirits (which is what the name means in Navajo) and are the focus of healing ceremonies held in the Fall and early Winter.  During these ceremonies, the dancers take on the role of intermediaries between the gods and the human race.  The ceremony continues over the course of several days, with some portions open to the public.  The most accessible of these is held in early October at the Shiprock Fair.

Today, I was at the Smoki Museum auction in Prescott, AZ.  Although this auction features quite a few vintage rugs, the Spider Rock Girls also consigned some of their recent weavings and sold most of them.  After the auction, I got a nice picture of them with trader and auctioneer Bruce Burnham.  From left in back are Larissa Blake, Kara Whitney, Emily Malone, Laramie Blake and Bruce Burnham.  Seated in front are LaVera Blake and Tara Whitney.

Although the market for Navajo textiles is a little soft in this economy, unique high quality weavings still attact the attention of collectors.  I added five weavings to the group of rugs that go to the weaving classes I coordinate.  I’ll share the pictures of those tomorrow.   There were 310 weavings in the auction, so its been a long day, but a lot of fun.