| Native American Indians were weaving articles for | | | | Native Americans are famous for their weaving of |
| household use more than 8000 years ago. It is a | | | | rugs and blankets. Everyone knows about the Navajo |
| Native American craft that is known to be one of the | | | | blankets that are woven as they were in ancient |
| oldest and is still highly prized today. | | | | times. A woman would sit before a wood-frame loom |
| Different tribes utilized different styles and different | | | | and use a shuttle to weave colored hand-spun cotton |
| materials to make their baskets from. Some use | | | | thread to create fabulous geometric designs of brilliant |
| grasses, others used pine needles, several used wood | | | | color. Today, the same technique is used but instead |
| that was pounded until it was flexible enough to either | | | | of cotton, they use wool, as it is plentiful. This changed |
| braid then weave or just to weave. The Inuit actually | | | | when the Spanish brought domestic sheep with them. |
| started using whale baleen to make baskets from. If | | | | The Navajo rugs are the most celebrated of all these, |
| the northern tribes made a basket from birch, they | | | | but they are far from the only ones. |
| were often decorated with dyed porcupine quills. You | | | | Many tribes today still employ the art of finger |
| can see the changes in basket styles as the Native | | | | weaving. This technique has been extremely important |
| American people moved and learned the customs of | | | | throughout the centuries since ancient times. The Tlingit |
| their neighbors. Many styles though are still woven | | | | people make wonderful blankets called chilkat from this |
| today that are still as distinctive as ever. | | | | technique that you can still purchase today. |
| There are four basic styles of basket making: coiling, | | | | Each piece of weaving is truly a work of art that |
| plaiting, twining and wicker. Each has its' own form and | | | | takes the artist months if not years to create and |
| the designs are extremely unique to each. Coiling is | | | | complete. They are all one-of-a kind articles and can |
| more along the lines of sewing as the fibers are coiled | | | | capture a very handsome price on the market. |
| around each other; they are sewn to the previous coil. | | | | Today's market is also showing a trend to turn to |
| The other three forms are truly weaving. Twill plaited | | | | newer materials to weave these items from such as |
| cane baskets have been around for thousands of | | | | silk and alpaca along with a renewed interest in bringing |
| years and are predominate in the Southwest. The | | | | back the traditional Navajo-Churro wool. |
| wicker weave is the most common, when the basket | | | | Several tribes learned how to weave sashes and |
| maker weaves the weft over and under the | | | | small items, but never did turn that knowledge toward |
| foundation material. This is often used to make trays | | | | a larger piece for either clothing or habitat use. |
| and serving baskets in the Southwest. Twining is more | | | | Many things that the Native American wove were |
| complicated involving the weaving of two or more | | | | specifically utilitarian and not meant to be pretty. For |
| weft threads around warp rods. The wefts are | | | | example, many wove fishing nets and ropes from |
| separated, brought around the stationary warp and | | | | plant fibers. These were necessary for survival, but |
| then brought together again as that basket | | | | were not made to be decorative. |
| progresses. | | | | Weaving has been so useful and yet decorative for |
| When speaking of weaving, one must include the | | | | many cultures since the beginning of time. Native |
| Navajo rugs and their skilled weavers. The Navajo | | | | American weavers are rather unique in that their |
| attribute weaving in their legends surrounding the | | | | products today still command a high price, one that |
| Creator. They believe that the Creator is a weaver | | | | matches the time and artistry to produce the finished |
| and that he wove the world into existence. | | | | product. |