Weaving in Beauty

Today, we concluded our advanced weaving seminar, which has been newly dubbed Camp Weave-A-Lot, and we started our Natural Dye Retreat. We met at Burnham’s Trading Post in Sanders, AZ and got a look at some of the vegetally dyed colors that Marie Begay is able to achieve. We were also treated to a weaving demonstration by Jennie Slick, who was working on a C-cactusflower loom that she carries with her. After we left Burnham’s, we headed north to Window Rock and started our natural dye work with cochineal. The Quality Inn let us use their shade house and we set up our hot plate and dyepot. Just as we were getting started extracting the color, some of the Spider Rock Girls stopped by and spent some time visiting and spinning while we were waiting for the dyepot. Here’s a picture of grandma Rose Yazze, (left), granddaughter Alyssa Malone and mom Emily Malone.

Emily and Alyssa Malone look on as Rose Yazzie spins in the shade house at the Quality Inn

One of the participants in our seminar completed her first rug today.  Barbara Spelman is an accomplished fiber artist and a partner in Crone Craft Studios in Tucson, Arizona, which makes her a busy person.  Once a year, Barbara comes to Window Rock to study Navajo techniques and has applied many of them to her other work, particularly in the area of dyes.  Over the course of the past four years, Barbara has diligently worked on her weaving when she could and today, her efforts were rewarded.  Here’s a brief video of the big moment!

Barbara carefully folded her rug, and she and Jennie Slick promptly started on another warp.  Tomorrow, we’ll catch up with the other seminar participants projects.

Late this evening as we were finishing a discussion of the Teec Nos Pos rug style, our class was honored with a visit by 98 year old weaver Helen Yazzie and her granddaughter Lynelle Begay who happened to be having dinner at the Diné Restaurant next to the meeting room we are using for class.  Helen expressed admiration for the Henry Lee Dedman hip spindles that we had on one of our tables and told us through translation by her granddaughter and Jennie how she had been a spinner and weaver since she was a young girl.  Helen inspected all of the looms and we gifted her with the spindle that she most admired and some churro roving that we hope she enjoys.  Nizhónígo naniná doo, Helen.  May you walk in beauty.

Helen Yazzie with our weaving seminar group. Standing from left, Roberta Sauerwein, Jennie Slick, Liz Munk, Laurie West, Barb Spelman and Mary Weinzirl. In front, Helen Yazzie and granddaughter Lynelle Begay.

I’ve just learned from a reliable source (the owner of the rug) that Jennie Slick’s Third Phase Chief Blanket weaving has won a second prize ribbon at the 87th Inter-tribal Ceremonial currently underway in Gallup, NM.  I’ll be attending  the Ceremonial this weekend, so I hope to have more reports on the weavers and weavings at the event.

Here’s a picture of Jennie (on the right) with her prize winner and it’s also in this year’s Weaving in Beauty Calendar.  That’s Jennie’ mother, Anna Ashley, aged 90, on the left.

Weaver Jennie Slick (right) and her mother Anna Ashley with Jennie's prize winning Third Phase Chief Blanket.

PBS will be showing Bennie Klain’s Weaving World’s documentary this November as part of their observance of Native American Heritage month.  The film was shown at this year’s Austin SXSW Film Festival and depicts the intricate interplay of art, cultutre and economics in Navajo weaving.  There is a trailer on YouTube and I found an extensive review by Chale Nafus of the Austin Film Society.  From what I’ve read, the film is well done and thought provoking.  I’m glad to see Navajo weaving coming to the media in a format that goes beyond a travelogue.   I haven’t had a chance to see the film, but two of my friends, Gilbert Begay and Perry Null, appear in the movie.   Below, you can see Gilbert with me in a picture taken back in May.   We were at a Mini Sheep is Life Celebration in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona.  Gilbert wove the bag that I’m holding and one of the weaving classes that I coordinated bought the bag for me.

Emily Malone and her family, also known as the Spider Rock Girls, are on the forefront of weavers looking for new outlets to sell their work and have their own web site as well as an Ebay account.  Emily’s just finished this Transitional Burntwater rug and it’s on Ebay this weekend.  She’s also entered it in the Inter-tribal Ceremonial.   She’s certainly got a killer background for her marketing pictures!  Yes, she’s standing on the rim of Canyon de Chelly and that’s Spder Rock in the background.  I just wish she wouldn’t stand so close to the edge!