Sunday, March 25, 2012

Rug Of The Week - Tree Of Life by Dorothy Secody

by John Aldrich

As one of our older weavers at age 91, Dorothy Secody, is no longer able to weave large rugs and has specialized in producing small Tree Of Life rugs. Despite their small size, her rugs typically  contain all the basic elements of this style of rug: the sacred corn plant growing from a ceremonial basket with birds flying in and out. Additionally, her designs typically contain other elements such as feathers, arrows, rainbows, and mountain symbols.

This rug, which is typical in size and price for Dorothy, measures 21" x 16" and is priced at $155. The catalog listing is 7020.

Dorothy is one of our Elders and attends the Many Farms food run along with three of her sisters. In her younger years Dorothy was quite a famous weaver, known for weaving large rugs as well as weaving rugs in many different styles.

As is the case with so many weavers, this skill provided Dorothy with the means to support her family.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Rug Of The Week - Storm by Darlene Bahe

by John Aldrich

Last week we featured a newly-arrived rug by Delorcita Francis. This week we received a rug from her sister, Darlene Bahe, so it seemed only fair that it also be featured. As mentioned in the last post, both of these fine weavers carry on the tradition of their mother, Alice Bahe, an Elder in our program who died several years ago.

This rug is a beautiful storm pattern. It has all the classic elements that were mentioned in a previous post with the exception that there is no border in this rug. To my eye this gives it a more "modern" look - a clean and simple appearance, even though there are lots of complicated design elements.

Darlene is asking $500 for this rug which measures 26" x 38". Here is the catalog listing, 7021.

Darlene often weaves pictorial rugs. Here's a photo of her at the Tsaile food run last spring. She is holding a fine rug depicting yeis and corn plants.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Rug Of The Week - Teec Nos Pos by Delorcita Francis

by John Aldrich

Teec Nos Pos is one of the classic regional rug styles. It was developed by a trader in that area who wanted to see weavers using motifs from oriental rugs that were very popular in the early 20th century. Teec rugs are characterized by an elaborate border, actually multiple borders often, surrounding a central area with complex geometric designs. In addition to the design complexity, there are typically many color changes throughout these rugs. Given all this, it's not surprising that Teec Nos Pos rugs usually command relatively high prices, since they are quite time-consuming to create.

This week's rug is a Teec woven by Delorcita Francis of Rock Point.

It arrived just recently and was added to the catalog only a few days ago. The rug measures 30" x 44" and is priced at $1200, which is very reasonable for a rug of this size and complexity. The catalog listing is 7087.

Delorcita is one of our younger weavers. She is the daughter of Alice Bahe who was an Elder in our program and a rug show regular until she died several years ago. Delorcita continues the fine weaving tradition of her mother, and Teec Nos Pos designs are her specialty. Delorcita also attends the rug show and is usually at the Many Farms food run where she brings her father and also sometimes helps to make fry bread.

Along with the featured rug shown above, Delorcita also sent a smaller Teec rug which is an atypical design since it is more like a "rug-within-a-rug".

 This one measures 19" x 28" and is priced at $350. The catalog listing is 7086.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A Place of Suffering

by John Aldrich

Hwe'eldi, a place of suffering, holds a special meaning for the Navajo people. Although I can not speak on a personal level to what this special meaning might be, I have heard several Navajos relate what those terrible years meant to their forefathers and how this deplorable chapter in our history has impacted the psyche of subsequent generations of Dine'.

Most of us who have had exposure to Dine' history and culture are aware of the Long Walk, the period from 1863 to 1868 when the Navajo people were rounded up and forced to march roughly 400 miles, on foot and in winter, to a wretched site in eastern New Mexico, called the Bosque Redondo, which had been set aside for them. The surrender of the people to this fate was more or less inevitable following the scorched-earth campaign that Kit Carson waged across the Dine' homeland. Seven to eight thousand men, women, and children participated in this journey with several thousand dying en route or during the years of incarceration.

On a recent trip to visit friends in Albuquerque, I wanted to take the opportunity to see this site for myself. One of the surprises for me was the realization that Fort Sumner was quite a bit further east than I had imagined. We set out from Albuquerque on a grey, gloomy day that seemed fit for such a journey.  The trip of 150 miles via modern roads took three hours and frankly seemed relatively interminable. That alone provided ground for reflection on what it must have been like for the people forced to do it on foot over many weeks, and heading to a destination altogether unknown to them.

This map shows the location of the Bosque Redondo reservation, the outlined square in the lower right, and reveals what was another surprise to me - the size of the place. It was forty square miles. Click on the map for a larger image with more detail.

The next map shows the travel route of the Navajos.

There was some variation in the routes taken by different groups, especially after passing through the area of present day Albuquerque. Fort Canby was an earlier name for Fort Defiance.

Fort Sumner today is a sleepy rural ranching and farming community showing the signs of decline that are typical of such places. If it weren't for the railroad passing through town, it might even seem disconnected from the modern world. The citizens of Fort Sumner bank on the notoriety of Billy The Kid to bring in visitors more than the old fort and its history. Billy was killed at Fort Sumner and is buried nearby.

Bosque Redondo and the site of the original fort are several miles south. Although the Pecos River is nearby and supports a number of cottonwood trees, the area is flat and otherwise desolate except for places that have received some irrigation. The promise of the U.S. Army to the Navajos was that their new home would offer great opportunities for farming and that they would enjoy a new era of self-sufficiency. Instead, the soil was alkaline, and the river water of poor quality, so efforts to farm were mostly unsuccessful, and the people were forced to rely on rations supplied by the army. The army, in turn, had underestimated the population that would ultimately arrive there, so there were widespread shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and other basic supplies. Although the army should have provided security, plains Indians were able to raid the Navajo settlement, further adding to the privations.

In 2005, after years of neglecting this part of their local history, the Bosque Redondo Memorial was dedicated as a New Mexico state monument and is housed in a building incorporating a rather striking tepee element which was designed by Navajo architect David Sloan of Albuquerque.

On the day of our visit we arrived to an empty parking lot and departed leaving it just as we found it. A congenial woman who was volunteering at the small gift shop was a life-long resident of Fort Sumner and observed that when she was growing up there was no mention of the importance of this location to the Navajo people and the area  of the Bosque had been used for recreation. There was awareness of the military history, and an effort had been made to restore some of the walls of the old fort.

But since the establishment of the Bosque Redondo Memorial, the real history of the place is now taught in the schools. The park ranger indicated that many Navajos now visit the site, but that many others are reluctant to do so because of the strong negative feelings the place has for Dine' people. Some who come bring rocks, stones, and other items from their homeland in Dinetah to honor the ancestors who may have survived or perished in the experience.

Between this spot of prayer and offerings and the memorial building in the background is the site where the treaty of 1868 was signed which released the Dine' people to return to their homeland.

The nearby Pecos River, quite unattractive in its muddy, silty and sluggish flow, perhaps gives some inkling of why this experiment in relocation was doomed from the outset.

The trunk of this large cottonwood tree is preserved near the memorial in honor of the Navajo people that would have planted it during their incarceration.

Cottonwood trees generally have a life expectancy of 70 years. This tree lived 141 years and seems to be a testament to the strength and resolve of the people who planted it.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Spring is Coming

by John Aldrich

One of the sure indications that spring is upon us and the food runs are just around the corner is the arrival at the warehouse of the food order that will fill all the Rainbow food boxes to be delivered to the Elders. Roger Daly again oversaw the purchasing of this enormous order, and Boyd Mitchell drove the rental truck for the three trips it took to get everything from Walmart to the warehouse.

Here's the group of stalwarts that braved the chill on Saturday morning to get the job done.

In addition to Boyd's skill behind the wheel of the truck, he's also quite a pallet wrangler.

Long-time volunteer Dan Willis seems to have an uncanny ability to show up when he's needed the most.

We were also honored to have this brother-sister team of Hilary and Sterling join us.

Besides helping with stacking the food, Hilary was able to get some work done on a school project for which she needed a Navajo cultural slant on some health care questions. Rodger Williams was happy to oblige.

Now the warehouse is full and ready for the Rainbow food box packing that will come soon. The major packing will take place on two Saturdays in April, the 7th and the 14th. Please join us if you can.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Rug Of The Week - Greyhills by Lucy Chee

by John Aldrich

This week's featured rug comes from Navajo Mountain. This area might be better known for weaving baskets than rugs, but there are still some fine weavers there. Lucy Chee has woven this simple yet elegant two greyhills design:

The rug measures 24" x 38" and is priced at $500. Here is the catalog listing, 6862.

Navajo Mountain is the newest location for ANE to serve with the first food run occurring there in August of 2008. It has rapidly become one of the most popular with volunteers, however, due to the beautiful location and the warm, appreciative reception we receive from the Elders.

Lucy Chee is one of these Elders who makes us feel at home when we visit Navajo Mountain.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.