Navajo
Basket by Peggy Black
Patriot Pictoral
18 1/2"
Diameter
Born for the Many Goats Clan
and to her maternal Arrow People Clan, Peggy Rock Black learned
to weave from her mother, grandmother, and sister. As well as
the weaving technique, Peggy knows the natural plant dyes and
occasionally uses them when coloring the sumac strips she uses
in her baskets. Now she is passing the difficult but rewarding
lessons of the art along to her three daughters.
With great support from her
family, Peggy is a prolific weaver. Her husband, Eddie, assists
in gathering the sumac and preparing it for weaving. Eddie helps
her in other ways, too. He is a herbalist and is studying with
his uncle and grandfather, both medicine men, so that he may
too be a medicine man. This is important to Peggy, who believes
in the healing power of the sumac.
The sumac bush, which grows
about 3 feet tall, is sometimes called the lemonade tree because
of the tart drink that can be made from its unripe summer berries.
The bark, leaves, and berries of the sumac have all been used
by Native American people for medicinal purposes.
Peggy respects the traditions
of her Navajo heritage. She weaves contemporary baskets but leans
toward traditional Navajo designs of balance.
l'm really careful with what
I weave," she says. She keeps to the positive stories of
her people and uses the power of healing ceremonies to protect
her from life's evils. Though she lives in a house, she often
weaves her baskets in a traditional hogan close by.
Peggy has won many awards
at shows at The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, and
at the Gallup Ceremonials in New Mexico, but she does not think
of herself as a competitive person. "I only want to try
different designs," she explains. And then, in a sentence
that sums up Peggy's personality as well as the reason her baskets
are so dynamic, she adds, "I want to experience the designs."
Looking at her baskets it
is clear that each have her positive, healing influence. They
are baskets that the observer can experience also.