September 30, 2008 by Dianne.

This entry on the blog will bring to a close the postings devoted to the handicraft skills of the Navajo people.  There will be two more postings to complete the section on Native Americans, but they will present a very different skill.

When people began to have more time, they began to create other items that would be representative of their culture and could be enjoyed even if they were not necessities of everyday life.  The first of these is a hand-woven “plate” that would not be used to serve food because it cannot be washed, but could be used as a wall hanging or decoration on a table. It is woven from dried materials such as grasses and other plant material.

The items in this picture could be used for decoration or even  in tribal ceremonies.  Today they would be used for decoration. Some of them are ceramic, and some are carved from wood.

Artistic skills evolve as new materials become available.  Here you see many items made of metal, all of which serve a mostly decorative function. Pay attention to the figure that is playing a kind of flute.  You will see more about him later.

Native American art is collected by many people who appreciate the vivid colors and finely honed skills required to create the items.  It is to be hoped that the generations that follow do not let these traditions and skills disappear.

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September 27, 2008 by Dianne.

Living today when we can conveniently purchase almost everything we need - food, clothing, utensils, etc. - we tend to forget what life was like before stores were so plentiful and people had money with which to buy things. Few of us would survive if suddenly transported back to those times. Our ancestors, however, had to make everything they used.  In this posting and the next you will find examples of the Navajo skills that remain to this day.  Of course, not everything is currently made by hand, but enough people retain the skills that we outsiders get to appreciate their talents and the beauty of their creations.

Clothing, of course, had to be able to withstand the extreme heat of the summer and the cold nights in the desert, and the rough environment in which they existed.  In the next two pictures are examples of traditional outfits.  The first shows  samples of women’s dresses and blouses plus men’s jackets and vests.

The second shows a small poncho, a garment that is wrapped around one’s upper body like a coat in order to keep warm.

Household items also needed to be created.  What is always amazing to me is that these early items were not only functional but often extremely beautiful.  Examples of this beauty are shown below:

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September 26, 2008 by Dianne.

I heard on the TV news last evening that China had launched a spacecraft with three men aboard.  I don’t know if I remember the correct name to call the space travelers.  If tykonauts is incorrect, will someone please correct me? In the U.S. we call them astronauts.

Regardless of what they are called, I  join all of you in wishing them success and a safe return to earth.

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September 24, 2008 by Dianne.

Another highly prized product of most Native American tribes is their skillfully woven rugs.  Of course, today they could do what most people do - go into a store and purchase blankets that were made in bulk by machines.  However, these skills were honed back when they had to raise the sheep, sheer the wool, spin it into strands that could be used on a loom (the machine on which a rug is woven), and then obtain dyes from berries, fruits, leaves and other things growing in nature.  Of course, the wool still had to be colored and then woven into the design chosen for the rug.

This picture gives you some idea of how complicated the designs are.  It was an exhibit meant to show how many colors might go into even one small design.  Count them.  I think there are 33, and this is a VERY small weaving!!!!!!!

If you thought there were a lot of colors in the first rug, imagine how many there are in this one.

I cannot even imagine how many months or years it might have taken to have completed this third rug, which is enormous and could also be used as a wall hanging.  I couldn’t even get all of it into my camera viewfinder.

Today, of course, most of the Native Americans also frequently use store-bought blankets, but they still treasure the ancient skills and continue to practice them both to earn some money and also to keep their heritage alive. The one shown here would almost certainly sell for thousands of dollars.

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September 22, 2008 by Dianne.

In this group of photos you will see other types of jewelry and ornaments.  The first photo is of barrettes (used by girls and young women to hold hair in place.)  They are made of tiny, tiny beads strung together in assorted designs and then attached to the clip that will hold the hair. The patterns are quite typical of Native American designs.

Many of the Native American tribes are also very skilled in making jewelry and other ornaments out of silver.  In this picture you will see a pendant that is approximately five centimeters in width with a design that has been carved into the center and then accented with black coloring. Notice that it is attached to a rather long chain, which is common when the jewelry piece is of this size.

My favorite of all the pieces I saw at the festival was this last piece.  It is difficult to see because the photo is not very large, but there are several dozen small carved birds. Carving anything out of stone requires skill and patience, but to create such tiny figures is exceptional.  It was not only very beautiful, but also very expensive due to the many weeks or months of work that were required to create it.  In addition, you will see another necklace to the right that is made from polished bones plus some  carved stone  items in the left of the picture.

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September 20, 2008 by Dianne.

The Navajos have long been known for their great skill in jewelry making.  At the festival we attended there were several people who were displaying and selling some of their wares.  In the first photo you will notice that the necklaces are a combination of beads and polished stones and that many of the polished stones are  in the shape of the arrowheads  the artisans’ ancestors used when hunting buffalo and other animals for food and skins.

In the photo below you will see bracelets and more necklaces, some of which consist of beads woven together and others that have semi-precious polished stones

The third photo is of our friend Mary Ellen and me. She had just purchased one of the necklaces and was so pleased with it that she wanted to wear it right away.

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September 18, 2008 by Dianne.

This group of photos presents people of different ages.  The first one shows two generations of women who were selling some of their handmade jewelry.  You will see more examples of Navajo jewelry in a later posting.

Below is a young Navajo couple attending the festival with their young daughter.

Finally, you see a little girl who became very sleepy as she waited with her mother at one of the booths that sold handmade blankets.  So her mother set one of the blankets on the floor under the table so she could rest.  In the stroller near the right of the picture was her younger sister who was also napping.

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September 16, 2008 by Dianne.

The three photos in this posting illustrate different aspects of the culture of the Navajo people that were on display during the festival.

The first picture did not come out very clearly, but it shows an elderly man in a traditional outfit as he performed a ritual dance using wooden hoops.  As he danced he pulled one hoop after another over his body.  By the end of the dance he had interwoven all of the hoops so that they formed an intricate pattern. In the background you can see three musicians - all his grandchildren - who performed as he danced.

The second photo shows a woman who is a potter as she molds a vase.  In a later posting you will see examples of the finished artifacts the potters produce.

The final photo is of a young musician playing a traditional instrument and dressed in clothing that would be worn during a performance at one of the Navajo rituals.

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September 14, 2008 by Dianne.

As you know, I spent the first three weeks of August in Arizona visiting my sister.  A mutual friend of ours, Mary Ellen (who is the mother of Mason’s girlfriend Betsy) also flew out for a few days.  While she was there, my sister Dorris took us to many places in the northern part of the state. It is a very large state so, of course, it was not possible to see all of it or even  most of it in one visit.

I have been working on preparing the photos and some other material.  It seemed that the best way to present things was to divide them into different categories.  Postings will not occur every day, but , rather every two or three days.  In between entries related to the trip, I may occasionally insert something else.

I have selected for the first postings information and pictures that relate to the Navajo people.  Although people from other countries often think that all Native-Americans (formerly referred to as “Indians” or “American Indians”) lived in the west, there were many, many tribes throughout the U.S.  As you undoubtedly know, their ancestors are believed to have traveled from Asia by means of a land connection (the Bering land bridge) that used to exist between what is now Russia and the area that is now Alaska.  It is thought that the first such peoples arrived about 12,000 BC. From there they immigrated throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and then over time down to the tip of South America.

When you look at the names of places in the U.S., you will often come across one that does not sound like it is an English name.  Although some of them may be French or Spanish (because the French and Spanish originally were in control of parts of this country), many of them are derived from the names given them by the original inhabitants of the continent.

BTW, do you know how all of the various tribes came to be called Indians?  I went to the Wikipedia to check the accuracy of what I had learned, and I found out there were two different theories.  They follow:

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Indian

The term Indian is commonly thought to have begun with the misconception by Christopher Columbus that the Caribbean was really a part of Southeast Asia known to Europeans as the Indies, which he had hoped to reach by sailing west across the Atlantic. Even though Columbus’s mistake was soon recognized, the name stuck, and for centuries the native people of the Americas were collectively called  Indians.

However, this is disputed by Indian activist Russel Means, who believes the word Indian derives not from a confusion with India but from a Spanish expression En Dio, meaning “in God”.  Much of the use of the word has to do with connotation more than definition.

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I had always learned the first version, but who knows which is correct?  At any rate, it is a confusing term, and “Native Americans” would seem to be a much more accurate name to use.

= = =

“Navajo” isn’t actually what they called themselves; it’s what their enemies called them. The Navajo called themselves “Dine,” which means “The People”.

The origin of the word Navajo comes from the Spanish conquistadors who, in their travels into the North American continent, used this as a curse word because the Indigenous people would steal their horses under the cover of darkness. The slang word is loosely translated as ‘underminers’ or ‘those who cut from under’.  Nevertheless, as time passed, Navajo became the name by which they were and still are called, and it doubtful whether most people realize  it was once a curse and think it is simply a name the people gave themselves.

By around 1400 AD, the Navajo reached the southwestern part of North America, and they settled down there. The Pueblo people who were their new neighbors taught the Navajo how to farm corn and beans, and the Navajo began to get a lot of their food from farming.

By 1541 AD, the Navajo were in contact with Spanish traders, though they stayed independent for hundreds of years after that.

  On the weekend after MaryEllen and I arrived, the Navajos in the Flagstaff area (which is where Dorris lives) were holding their annual festival. During this time they present to any who would care to attend samples of their arts and crafts.  The timing allowed us to see many beautiful examples of their exquisite skills and handicrafts.

  I have sub-divided the information about the Navajos.  The first photos will give you some idea of the beauty of the people themselves.  Those pictures will appear in the next two entries.

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September 13, 2008 by Dianne.

To all of my dear friends and former students I send my wish that you will have a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival and enjoy eating moon cakes and gazing at the beautiful moon with your friends. I can look at the same moon and think of you.

Actually, it is probably quite good that I won’t be eating any moon cakes, as I am trying to loose the weight I gained after returning to the U.S.  :>(     Maybe next year I will be able to indulge my appetite for them.

Do I remember correctly that now this holiday is recognized with a day off from work and school?  If so, that is another reason to celebrate.

Love,

Dianne

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