Weaving in Beauty

Rena Robertson holds the latest in her Faces series of weavings. Here's she's done a Faces variation of the Storm Pattern

Another Rena Robertson Faces rug.

Tempe, AZ One of my New Year’s resolutions is to attend the Crownpoint Rug Auction every month if at all possible.  So far, I’ve been able to make the trip and I’ve been rewarded by the opportunity to get to know some weavers better and to make new friends.  When I went to the auction in January, I was really impressed by a rug woven by Rena Robertson of Hardrock, AZ.  It was somewhat similar to the rug at right, another of Rena’s pieces that I purchased last month. The style is reminiscent of a now-rare pattern called a Hopi Figural rug, but Rena has updated the designs and colors and has integrated many elements significant in both the Navajo and Pueblo cultures.  The most striking elements are the serene stylized faces that drew me immediately to the weaving.  Although they are somewhat similar to both Ye’i and Katsina faces, Rena sees them as the faces of nature, animals, people and homes that are all around us, so the style might be called Faces of the World, or Faces of the Glittering World in honor of the Navajo view of this incarnation of the world that we live in.   I’m pleased to offer both of them in the Weavings for Sale section of the Mercantile.  The single Faces piece is sold but you can click here for another picture and more information.  The Storm Pattern Faces piece is priced at $595.  Click here for more details and the purchase link.

Rena’s friend, Lena Tahe had been bringing Rena’s work to Crownpoint, which is about 200 miles one way, but persuaded Rena to come this month and her husband, Martin Whitehair, who is also a weaver, accompanied her.   Martin is the brother of weaver William Whitehair.  Morris Muskett and I enjoyed discussing designs, weaving and silversmithing with Rena and Martin after the auction.

We also ran into Gilbert Begay, who had two of his popular bags with him, had being the key word here.  One is an over the shoulder 7″ square bag and the other is a clutch style that is 9 1/2″ x 6″ and is vegetally dyed.   Both have been sold, but please contact me if you’d like to order another one from Gilbert.

Two Grey Hills (left) and vegetally dyed (right) bags by Gilbert Begay

I’m working on finishing up the book that I’ve been working on with Liz Munk and Jennie Slick, so I haven’t been posting as much as usual.  I think the book’s at a point where I can safely steal a little time to catch you up on some of the things that have been going on in my part of the Navajo weaving world.  Tomorrow I’ll be posting an update on our teaching high touch with high tech experiment and putting up the schedule for further online classes.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Put yourself in this picture starting on May 2!

Tempe, AZ One of the students scheduled to attend our May 2-9 class in Window Rock has had to cancel because of a serious illness in her family, leaving us with an open seat for the class.  This session is particularly good for people interested in the auction scene because it includes field trips to both the Crownpoint Rug Auction and the Friends of Hubbell Native American Arts Auction in addition to our regular weaving curriculum.  You can click here for more information on the class and you can click here to register online.  Please contact me if you have questions.

In other Weaving in Beauty class news, we have modified the Natural Dye Retreat to a one and half day format and reduced the price to $200 per student.  The change means that we concentrate exclusively on the dye work and don’t do any trading post field trips, but these can be done independently.  The retreat is scheduled for August 7-8 (7:30 AM Saturday- 1:00 PM on Sunday).  You can read more about the retreat here.  If you already know that you want to pay to dig holes, wash pots and eat smoke, you can register for the class here.  I love the small of cochineal in the morning.

Spider Rock Girl Alyssa Malone with the results of the Cochineal Cook-off portion of last year's Dye Retreat

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

Jennie Slick weaves at a class in Window Rock

The travel section of today’s New York Times has an article by Keith Mulvihill which features travel on the Navajo Nation and focuses on weaving, the Crownpoint Rug Auction and interviews with master weaver and Weaving in Beauty instructor Jennie Slick and the Toadlena Trading Post’s Mark Winter.  Keith even tried his hand at  weaving, learning how to warp a loom and weaving a few inches.  The audio slide show that accompanies the article is really wonderful; you’ll enjoy hearing the sound of Jennie’s weaving fork as she’s working.

Jennie Slick works on a Burntwater design as she's interviewed for an article in the New York Times.

Weaver Ursula Begay shows one of her Burnham style weavings prior to a Crownpoint rug auction in September of 2007

The Crownpoint Rug Weavers Association has released their auction schedule for 2009.  The auction is held on the second Friday of each month at the Crownpoint Elementary School in Crownpoint, NM.  You can get further details on the auction at www.crownpointrugauction.com.   A typical month’s auction features 200+ rugs in all sizes and styles.  The auction preview starts at 4 PM Mountain Daylight Time and the auctions begins at 7 PM.  A stop at the auction makes a great addition to any trip to the southwest!  Mark your calendar with the following dates:

• January 09
• February 13
• March 13
• April 10
• May 08
• June 12
• July 10
• August 14
• September 11
• October 09
• November 13
• December 11

In an earlier post, I made a reference to the Bisti area and received a question about the characteristics and history of the Bisti style of weaving.   Many people have never heard of a Bisti rug and if they’ve seen one, they may not have recognized it.  The name Bisti comes from the region where the rugs were woven and refers to an area that runs south from Farmington, New Mexico towards Chaco Canyon and Crownpoint, New Mexico.  The western boundary is probably highway 491.  Bisti meands badlands in Navajo, and when the Navajos call something a badland, they’re not kidding around.  To get an idea of the look of the area, check this article from the Desert USA web site.  Although it is not an easy area to live in, there are some Navajo people who make their homes there and the weavers have developed two related weaving styles, namely the Bisti rug and the Burnham rug, which developed later.

I think that there are two main features that identify a Bisti rug; the design geometry and the presence of yarn dyed with wild carrrot, with the geometry being the most important identifier and the dyestuff helping to fix the location.  The hall mark of the design is a complex of ordered and connected keyed structures.  Often, but not always, prayer feathers and other pictorial motifs are used as design elements.  One of the best Bisti examples I’ve seen is a rug that I repaired last year.  You can see it below being held by Jennie Slick (left) and Milt Shirlson (right).

This rug also shows the other hallmark of Bisti weaving, wool dyed with wild carrot.  Wild carrot or canyaigre is a form of rumex or dock root that grows in areas of the Navajo Nation that have sandy soil.  In some areas around Bisti, wild carrot is one of the few plants that can be used to yield a natural colorant for wool  In fact, it is one of the most stable of all the natural dyes used by the Navajos and I’ll post more on it toward the end of next week.  Aniline red dyes were also often used in Bisti weavings, but that and wild carrot are usually the only two dyed colors present in a Bisti rug.

The rug above was woven toward the end of the most active period of the Bisti style, sometime in the 1940′s or 1950′s.  The earliest examples of the style go back to the early 1900′s, when Navajo textiles were in the transition from blankets to rugs.  These early rugs were tradied mainly to the Burnham family at the Bisti and Burnham trading posts, but some were probably traded in Shiprock and Farmington and many went into homes in Durango, Pagosa Springs and other areas in southern Colorado.

I have seen Bisti style rugs referred to as variants of Teec Nos Pos rugs, and the two areas are relatively close to each other geographically.  A bordered Bisti rug can look similar to a Teec Nos Pos in terms of design density (the amount of design versus open space), but does not share the same design motifs or geometry.  As the Bisti design developed, the use of geometric elements increased and the distinct pictorial style that is referred as a Burnham rug emerged.  An early example that’s right on the cusp between the two styles is seen below.  It’s owned by trader Buce Burnham and was woven for his grandfather.   I’m not aware of any weavers doing a distinct Bisti style today, but Burnham rugs are being woven by the Begay/Barber family and other weavers both in the Bisti area and in other locations.  The Crownpoint Rug Auction is one of the best places to see these descendents of the Bisti Style.