Native American Blankets
Native American blankets can be used as a normal blanket, but many people
like to use them for the sole purpose of decorating their southwestern style
room. Native American blankets are usually intricately woven by hand by Native
American women, and the beauty that can be found within some of the Native
woven blankets can not be equaled. Many big companies will mass produce many
Native American blankets and sell them for fairly cheap prices, but if you
are looking for real hand woven Native blankets you need to check out shops
on different Native American Indian reservations, or else if you live in an
area with a large Native American population the chances are there are Indian
craft stores for you to shop at as well.
The Native Americans originally wove
these blankets to wrap themselves in during cold weather and also for use
on their beds to keep warm at night. Some of the first authentic Indian blankets
were made from things like buffalo hide; but the majority of them were woven
from natural fibers which they would sometimes die with dies that they would
make from different plants. Once the Europeans settled in American and began
to move west, they discovered the beautiful blankets the Native Americans
created and began to seek them out as trade items. They became very popular
among the European settlers that were migrating to the west of the United
States and many of the trading posts would have plenty of Indian blankets
in stock at any given time.
On of the tribes most famous for their Native American blankets were
the Navajo Indians, and to them the art of blanket weaving was a sacred
task that the Native women took very seriously. Navajo legend states
that the tradition of blanket weaving comes from a spirit person the
Native Americans called Spider Woman. In Navajo mythology she taught
the Natives to weave on looms that were designed by another spirit
person called Spider Man. The looms that were used by the Navajo women
to make these Native American blankets were usually crafted by the
men of the tribes, and the women did all the weaving. The Native Americans
were also famous for other weaving crafts such as their Native American
rugs and their patchwork quilted blankets. These blankets and rugs
made by the hands of Native American women can still easily be found
nowadays but they are usually very expensive, but when you buy an authentic
Native American blanket you will have a certificate of authenticity
from the tribe that made it, and you will also have a very high quality
piece of Native American history.
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