AIC's 46th Annual Meeting

This talk includes the findings of a technical study on Navajo handwoven textiles. Our research identifies key markers in fabric construction to aid in determining the textiles’ original orientation on the upright frame loom during weaving and, by extension, the actual top, bottom, front and back of the textile. These physical markers could easily be mistaken as damage, wear, repairs or other condition issues, making their identification particularly important. Additionally, identifying the orientation is significant for proper placement of museum labels; appropriate positioning for documentation and exhibition, and to aid researchers and weavers studying collections. Key features may also be potentially useful for identifying the work of individual weavers across an assemblage, and to discern the weaver’s hand even after items have been traded and collected. While there is an extensive literature on Navajo weaving and textiles, little to no attention has focused on documenting and interpreting these technological markers in order to establish the textiles’ original orientation. Rather, publications on technology have focused on distinguishing Navajo from Pueblo, Spanish American and Mexican textiles, and determining a chronology based on construction, materials, and design. To address this gap in the literature, our technical survey includes a sample of Navajo dresses, blankets, ponchos, and rugs, all woven on a frame loom and ranging from the mid nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. We provide discussion and visual examples of a number of telltale technological traits and evaluate their effectiveness in pointing a viewer in the right direction. From this project, we provide a workflow and documentation form to use in discerning the top from bottom, and front from back in Navajo textiles.