Weaving in Window Rock, Day 3

19th August 2008

posted in Workshops |

Today, we made a morning visit to St. Michael’s Mission, about three miles from our class site. The gardens there are at their height and they have a small museum that details the activities of the Franciscans in the development of the Navajo census and in documenting the Navajo language. The prayer chapel on the grounds is built in the model of a hogan and we spent some time there dicussing the hogan and the points of the Navajo compass as defined by the four sacred mountains.

The gardens at St. Michael's Mission in St. Michael's, AZ.

Quite a few of this class’s participants had never visited Hubbell Trading Post or hadn’t been there for quite some time. For me, it is always wonderful to stand in the house and revisit the art treasures and woven wonders amassed by Juan Lorenzo Hubbell and his family. After the home tour, we visited the rug room and saw several new acquisitions. Outstanding were rugs done by young male weavers and a new Eyedazzler by Verna Smith. Below is a piece by Eddie Bonnie, a finely woven Chief Blanket variation, held by class participant Arlene Anderson.

Moqui Revival rug by Eddie Bonnie (shown courtesy of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site)

Back in Window Rock, we stopped for lunch at my favorite swap meet food stand, Scott’s, for lunch featuring frybread dishes. Rejecting mundane frybread toppings, Diane Woods chose mustard, and I can prove it (see picture below).

Do you want mustard with that frybread?

The rest of our day was spent weaving and talking with visitors to the classroom. The class participants’ rugs are proceeding very well, and one student was observed heading off for some pre-bedtime weaving with his loom and an Ott Light. We’re up at 6 AM for a trip to Canyon de Chelly, so I’ll leave you with a picture of Marsha Herr’s weaving. It’s inspired by the Spider Rock pattern developed by Harriet Whitney and Lavera Blake of the Spider Rock Girls.