Weaving in Beauty

A 5'x8' Burntwater by Jennie Slick in progress in 2008

Jennie Slick weaves at her home in Querino Canyon. Click for a larger view.

Tempe, AZ Earlier today, Jennie Slick and I had a nice talk and I happened to run across a picture of a rug in progress on her loom.  The rug pattern is Jennie’s favorite, a Burntwater.   Burntwater is an area near Jennie’s home and it’s her father’s birthplace.  Burntwater got it’s distinctive name after a fire burned the local well housing, leaving the water with a burnt taste.  Weavers in the area are noted for their pastel colored vegetal dyes and local traders, notably Bruce Burnham, encouraged the weavers to develop a Burntwater colorway around geometries that in all natural wool colors would be Two Grey Hills designs or with a dark red background would be Ganado Red designs.  The combination of familiar designs in unusual colors was a hit with buyers thirty years ago and is still popular today.

The rug that is on Jennie’s loom is 5′x8′, and the loom occupies a good part of the living room in her mobile home.    Weavers may notice that this particular rug is so wide that Jennie was using two shed sticks and two pull sticks and wove in sections to make the process more efficient.   The rug is advanced over the galvanized pipes as the weaving progresses.   You can see Jennie weaving in the picture at left and hear her describe weaving in a multimedia show that runs a little over three minutes at the New York Times website.  Jennie’s part of the piece starts a little past the two minute mark.  You’ll also hear Mark Winter talk about weaving and take a brief sidetrip to the Crownpoint Rug Auction.  Times writer  Keith Mulvihill did an excellent article on travel off the beaten path of the Navajo Nation that accompanies the interview.

Jennie doesn’t sell through a trader but accepts weaving commissions starting at $100 per square foot and charges $150 per square foot for finer yarns that require more time to weave.  You can contact Jennie by sending me an email.

The pictures were taken on August 18, 2008 with a Canon Powershot G7 camera.  The New York Times article originally ran on June 12, 2009.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

A charming Burnham Pictorial by Ursula Begay. Hover your mouse over the picture for a closer view.

Ursula Begay holds her weaving at the Crownoint Rug Auction. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Tempe, AZ Today’s entry is more a tapestry grade weaving than a rug.  The weaver, Ursula Begay is still in her twenties and her 60 plus weft count weaving’s theme could be described as “Love: Navajo Style”.  Young love is beginning between the couples at the right and left of the design and seems to be in full bloom for the center couple, although Ursula said that she didn’t have room for the heart between them so you’ll have to decide between the romantic and the practical interpretation.  Ursula (pictured at left with her weaving) is the daughter of weaver Sandy Begay.  The Burnham pattern is associated with the area of the Bisti Badlands where fourth generation trader Bruce Burnham’s grandfather originally traded and the incorporation of pictorial elements into more conventional Navajo weaving pattern geometries is deeply ingrained in the weaving of that area dating back into the 1890′s.  Ursula’s sense of color and design is distinctive and popular with buyers at the Crownpoint Rug Auction, where her designs are often sold.  Ursula also sometimes consigns her work to R.B. Burnham and Co. auctions.

Ursula’s weaving is about 18″x24″ and features both commercial and handspun yarns.  Ursula and her family are adept spinners and frequently combine their handspun yarns with commercial wools.  Their spinning is so well executed that is difficult to tell which is which.  They also frequently dye their yarns with aniline and vegetal dyes to achieve the colors that they are looking for in a particular design.  Trader Jackson Clarke II specializes in Burnham pictorials and you can see several more examples of this design at his Toh-Atin Gallery site.  The pictures were taken on September 14, 2007 with a Canon Powershot G7 camera.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

A beautifully detailed Burnham rug by Sandy Begay of Burnham, New Mexico

Window Rock, AZ We concluded our October class with a trip to the Crownpoint Rug Auction, about 70 miles east of here.  The auction is held each month at the Crownpoint Elementary School and is in it’s 41st year.  Last night, approximately 120 bidders vied for about 170 rugs.  There were some no sales, and the prices are probably about 30% or so lower on average than they were in 2007.  There are more small rugs, which many weavers say are selling better right now than larger pieces.  The Burnham rug in the picture ablove is by Sandy Begay and sold in the auction last night (I think the purchase price was $500).    Our group of six did our part to find homes for several of the rugs.  I’ll have more on the pieces that we purchased and a full review of our week in next week’s posts.

Frank Lister (left) and Bill Malone at the Trader's Gathering at the Navajo Nation Museum

Today, we packed up the classroom and after all of our students where on their way home, Jennie Slick and I attended the Traders Gathering at the Navajo Nation Museum, which is just a short walk from the Quality Inn where we hold our classes.   This event is a chance for both non-Diné and Diné traders to meet and share the trading post experiences of the past and the outlook for the future.  The group attending was small but very engaged, with most people attending either posing a question or issue or participating in the following discussion.   There are very few true trading posts left and the future doesn’t seem to bode well for ensuing generations.  The current market, the regulatory environment and increased mobility are threatening to write the final chapter on the few trading posts that remain on the reservation.  Many people in the audience hope for a different outcome.

The event was also a welcome back for trader Bill Malone of Shush Yaz in Gallup, NM.  Bill was critically ill for most of the summer, but is recovering and has now returned to work on a part time basis.   We marked the event with a cake decorated with a “Welcome Back from the Brink” greeting and delicious lunch catered by the Culinary Department at the Navajo Technical College.

Traders Hank Blair, Al Grieve, Bruce Burnham and Bill Malone at the Trader's Gathering

Bill’s friends will be pleased to know that there’s a book on Bill’s career in the works.  It will deal extensively with Bill’s career from it’s earliest days and will include his departure from the Hubbell Trading Post and his .   I’m hoping to interview the author for an upcoming post.

From left, Vicki Blair, Hank Blair and Bill Malone at the Trader's Gathering. It's great to see you, Bill!

It’s been a busy week, and I’m headed back to Phoenix tomorrow after a stop at the Hubbell Trading Post for a tour for attendees of the Trader’s Gathering.  I’ll post some pictures tomorrow evening.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Jeanette Hicks guards her fetsh selections as Barry Oglesby discusses the artform with Luci Hicks and Sarah Morse

Tempe, AZ Since I’m getting ready to head back to Window Rock for another class, I wanted to get you caught up on the conclusion of our August classes.   I’ll start with the week-long class that ran from August 1st through the 8th.  On Thursday, we decided to head into Gallup for some shopping and dinner with trader Bruce Burnham.  We went to several of the trading posts that Jennie Slick and I like to visit, starting with Perry Null’s Tobe Turpen Trading Post.   Perry carry’s a full line of Native American arts and takes advantage of Gallup’s proximity to both the Zuni and Navajo communities.  As you can see above, several of our students enjoyed the selection of Zuni fetish carvings at Perry’s.   You can see some of the textile area there in the picture below.

A view of the rug display at Perry Null's in Gallup, NM.

Moving on from there, we went to Richardson’s Trading on Historic Route 66 in Gallup.  Richardson’s has been in business in Gallup since 1913 and their rug display spreads over five different rooms and a loft area.  It is one of the best places to examine different rug styles and rug buyer Larry Fulbright aims for both high quality and unique perspectives in the textiles that he brings in to Richardson’s.  The Germantown sampler by Veronica Six that you can see in the picture below is a good example of both.

A very contemporary Germantown Revival weaving by Veronica Six

It’s a difficult to communicate the size of Richardson’s textile area in a picture, but you can get some idea in the photo below.  In addition to textiles, Richardson’s also carries a  full selection of pottery, jewelry and other Native American artwork.

View of Richardson's main rug room from the loft area. Many of the rugs hanging from the ceiling are large than 4'x6'.

After a full afternoon of studying the textiles and other art, we were ready for dinner at the El Rancho Hotel.  Built in the 1930′s, the El Rancho was home to many of the movie stars who worked in Gallup when it was an active location area for movies and television.  It’s still an attraction for tourists, although the last time I stayed there, there rooms could have used some help and the plumbing seemed to be haunted by the Marx Brothers (who really did stay there).  The El Rancho restaurant, however, is top notch and has some of the best food in the area.  They also serve adult beverages, which we can’t have in Window Rock (alcohol is prohibited on the Navajo Nation).   Fourth generation trader Bruce Burnham joined us and fascinated us with his stories and his hopes for the success of downtown Gallup.

Bruce Burnham (blue shirt) discusses the trading business with the class at the El Rancho Hotel restaurant

The next day, we headed out to Toadlena and Two Grey Hills.  In this area, handspinning is still the standard and sheep culture is at some of the highest levels within the Navajo Nation.  Here, sheep are bred for signature colors and the fine weavings created are among the most expensive textiles in the world.

At Toadlena, trader Mark Winter has turned the trading post started by George Bloomfield in 1909 into a combination trading post and museum, converting the old vault area into a rotating exhibit.  The trading post is celebrating it’s centennial this area and weaver Esther Etcitty created the rug seen in the picture below in honor of the event.

Esther Etcitty created one of her signature rock art rugs in honor of the Toadlena Trading Post Museum

Moving on, we headed over to the Two Grey Hills Trading Post, established in 1897 by the Noel brothers.   Trader Les Wilson keeps a good selection of Two Grey Hills weavings as well as one of the best selections of folk art in the area (the smiling sheep figures are a class favorite).   Les’ wife Irma Henderson has a flock of Navajo-churro sheep which makes Two Grey Hills an excellent stop for those of us who spin our own yarn.   Two Grey Hills is one of my main sources of the authentic Navajo-churro wool that I use in rug restorations.  One of the master weavers of Two Grey Hills rugs, Shirley Brown, also works at the store, but she modestly will not mention it.  She’ll show you one of her magnificent weavings if coaxed.

A few of Irma Henderson's Navajo-churro sheep

After we returned to Window Rock we got back to work.  Luci Hicks finished her piece and Niccole Cerveny put the finishing touches on her work.  Completing a weaving Navajo style isn’t fast or easy, but it is very satisfying and when the textile is removed from the loom, there is very little in the way of finishing work that needs to be done.

Niccole Cerveny puts the finishing touches on her weaving

Luci Hicks and Jennie Slick with Luci's completed weaving. What a wonderful design!

Of course, we had to get together for a class picture.  I’d been trying to get everyone up to the Window Rock to do it all week, but we just didn’t get there and decided to go for a alternate location just outside the dining room at the hotel.  You’d think that we could have gotten everyone together, but we couldn’t and we ended up having to take two pictures.  I’m not that good with Photoshop, so I’ll show you both of them!

Front from left, Jennie Slick, Judi Semple, Tammy Denhard, Mary Walker. Back from left, Jeanette Hicks, Luci Hicks, Lorna Stone, Penny Jube, Niccole Cerveny

Front from left, Jennie Slick, Judi Semple, Sarah Morse, Lorna Stone. Back from left, Jeanette Hicks, Luci Hicks, Mary Walker, Niccole Cerveny, Penny Jube

Thanks to all of the students for a wonderful week and may you all weave in beauty!

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Everyone says that you shouldn’t send people straight to other websites, but I think that you’ll really enjoy listening to Bruce Burnham tell you a short (1 minute and 13 seconds) story about the development of the Storm Pattern rug.  I do the Burnham’s web site and this discussion got started when Bruce said the rug below was a Storm Pattern variant.   Listen to Bruce tell the story.

Bruce Burnham contends that this is an early Storm Pattern vairant, and he's got an interesting story that ties into that opinion.

Above: Trader Bruce Burnham discusses weaving with our May 2008 class. The rugs in the background are by Mae Clark.

I’ve just finished posting our Weaving in Beauty classes for 2009 and they are now open for registration:  The classes we’ve scheduled are

• Weaving Class and Tour (May 9-16)
• Advanced Weaving Seminar (August 8-13)
• Natural Dye Retreat (August 13-15)
• Weaving Class and Tour (August 16-23)
• Weaving Class and Tour (October 3-10)

All the classes are taught on the Navajo Nation by Navajo instructors Jennie Slick or Rose Dedman.  The Weaving Class and Tour and Natural Dye Retreat are appropriate for any level of expertise and no prior weaving or dyeing experience is assumed or required.  The Advanced Weaving Seminar is an opportunity for concentrated and uninterrupted study of weaving and students are required to know how to warp independently and should be comfortable with the basics of weaving.

The cost of the classes has (sigh) gone up for next year for reasons that all of us probably understand all too well.   I have tried to hold the costs to a minimum while maintaining the quality of the experience and providing an appropriate level of compensation for the instructors.

You can read more about each of the classes and register at the Weaving in Beauty Mercantile, our online store.  Please contact me or leave a comment if you have questions about the classes, which I’ve been coordinating for (I can’t believe this) 10 years.