Generally speaking, Pictorial
weavings are a reflection of the world as the weaver sees it,
usually depicting her immediate environment. But as the world
around the weavers has changed, so have the Pictorials. Evolving
from scenes of traditional reservation life, to trains, trading
posts, and trucks, the subject matter of Pictorials could almost
be interpreted as a visual history of life on the reservation
over the past Century.
Sandpainting rugs, first woven
by Navajo Medicine Man Hosteen Klah in the 1920's, are woven
representations of traditional Navajo healing designs. They are
most certainly the rarest of all Navajo rug styles, as many weavers
today will not weave them.
The sky is considered male,
the earth female, and both are in the relation of man and wife
to each other. The earth may also be considered the mother of
all living, insomuch as it produces vegetable life, and harbors
many insects and animals in addition to being the abode of man.
