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Wright's Indian Art > RugsRugs are sometimes called blankets, but rugs by any other name still mean warmth, color, and comfort. Navajo rugs were traditionally woven from the wool of the same sheep that provided food, bedding, and wealth to the rug weaver and her family. Rugs and sheep, however, are found in far-flung cultures all over the world. Whether the weavers are women or men, as they were in the Zapotec Indian culture of southernmost Mexico, rugs have always been an expression of creativity, as well as function. Navajo rug designs started out as simple stripes; then color was added to the natural tones of the sheep's fleece, and outside stylistic influences increased the complexity of the designs. Trading post owners, in the late 19th century, famously showed Navajo rug weavers pictures of oriental rugs, hoping for designs that would appeal more to East Coast tourists. With some variation, due to the sprawling size of the Navajo reservation, these adaptations became the classic Navajo rug designs we recognize today. Compounding this influence on Navajo rug weavers was their proximity to the Hispanic pioneers of New Mexico and Arizona. Interestingly, the textile patterns traditional in Spanish culture, were also linked to mid-eastern designs, because of the long history of Arab occupation of Spain, beginning almost 2000 years ago. Today, individualism is creeping into both Navajo rug patterns and those of the Zapotec. There are even a few men, and women, respectively, moving into this formerly gender-specific area. Nothing has changed, though, in criteria for choosing a hand-woven rug, whether Navajo, Zapotec, or whatever: tightness of weave, sharpness of pattern, pleasing esthetic sense. Above all: you love it!
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