Navajo Blankets Research Paper

Around the 12th and 13th centuries, the Navajo Tribe began to weave distinctive blankets. At the time, they wove cotton into blankets and other garments on a unique pueblo loom. In the 16th century, the Spanish arrived, and sheep were introduced to the Navajo. The wool produced by the sheep was perfect for weaving, and came in a variety of natural shades.

Early Navajo blankets consisted of simple designs with narrow banding in alternating colors. Both natural sheep wool and vegetal dyes were used to color the blankets. When American traders arrived in the 19th century, the Navajo realized that they could trade and sell their blankets and rugs.

As demand increased, production of the rugs increased, and “Chief’s Blankets” became popular. Chief’s blankets were different from other blankets because they were woven on the loom wider than they were long. They often joined up to form an enclosed pattern, which could be seen when the blanket was wrapped around the body. …show more content…
Later styles consisted of small rectangles placed on top of the original style. Newer styles had even more elements, and mainly consisted of squares, rectangles, and diamonds. These elements were placed on top of the smaller rectangles, which were on top of the earliest