E-2724
Sarape and poncho are Spanish terms used by scholars and collectors for blankets woven as a vertical rectangle on the loom. Navajos adopted this format in part from the blanket weaving tradition established in the 1700s in Saltillo, Mexico. Navajo sarapes may be solid-woven fabrics or they may include a central neck slit, indicating their function as a Mexican-style poncho.
Most Classic sarapes and ponchos date to 1840-1860 and have a simple color palette of red, white, and blue, accented by yellow and green. Late Classic (1865-1880) sarapes exhibit more colors, shading, and design and a varied layout, with more isolated motifs. Stepped and terraced motifs, originally derived from early Navajo basketry, are prominent in Classic and Late Classic textiles. By the end of the Late Classic period, Navajo weavers adapted Mexican design elements like serrate-edged diamonds and vertical zigzags.
Navajo weavers also made many small sarapes, well-suited as trade items and keepsakes for travelers. Although sometimes called children’s blankets or double saddle blankets by scholars and collectors, they appear too elaborate for children’s everyday wear and too delicate for hard use on a horse.
Above:
Classic poncho/sarape
ca. 1840-1860
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
1.29 x 1.67 m; Tassels 0.060 m
65.748 x 50.787 in.; Tassels 2.362 in
Catalog No. E-2724
Collected by Lieutenant John Sanford Mason around 1870
Museum purchase from Major Ennalls Waggaman, 1954
“It’s so amazing—the weaver started at the bottom and knew what they were going to do way up there. They just figured it all out. I love that! The planning brings this piece together. Even the subtle use of green makes the whole rug uniform. It hangs with the regal quality of a first lady saying, ‘I am so fine.’” —Sierra Ornelas
“Finely terraced (stepped) motifs, derived in part from early southwestern basketry patterns, are typical of blankets from the Classic period (1800-1865). Despite the hardships for Navajos during army occupation of the 1860s and ‘70s, soldiers represented ready buyers for handwoven goods. Many museums now own pieces obtained by military collectors. Major Ennalls Waggaman presumably collected this superb sarape in Navajo country during the late 1800s.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 13 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 2 | Z | -- | Red | Cochineal, Tested | 61 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Green | Indigo+Native | 71 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 86 |
| Ecord | Wool | Handspun | 3 | z | S | Dk Blue | Indigo | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Mid-classic sarape
ca. 1850-60
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
1.145 x 1.65 m; Tassels 0.060 m
64.961 x 45.079 in.; Tassels 2.362 in
Catalog No. E-2867
Gift of Clay Lockett, 1955
“The evenly stepped diagonal lines, careful alternation of ‘broken stripes’, and the well-integrated, overall pattern identify this as a Classic period piece. Over time, patterns became fussier and divided into distinct sections, or zones.” —Ann Hedlund
“The weaver combined 3-ply yarns from Saxony in Germany, with handspun, native Churro sheep’s wool. Cochineal insects for the pink and red dyes were cultivated in Mesoamerica and exported to Europe. Cochineal-dyed yarns and fabrics then returned to America and traveled over the Santa Fe Trail to reach Navajo weavers. The Navajos never used native cochineal from the Southwest on their own handspun yarns.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Saxony | 3 | z | S | Pink | A Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 10 |
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 10 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | z | S | Pink-Red | B Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | z | S | Lt Green | Vegetal | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 51 |
| Ecord | Wool | Saxony | 3(3 | z | S)- | Lt Green | Vegetal | 2 |
| Other | Wool | Handspun | 3 | z | S | Dk Blue | Indigo | -- |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Late Classic sarape
ca. 1870-1880
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
0.795 x 1.16 m; Tassels 0.040 m
45.669 x 31.299 in.; Tassels 1.575 in
Catalog No. E-3271
“I love those crosses! They are very appealing designs.” —Barbara Ornelas
“It looks like every motif on this rug could be taken off and touched, and then put back on the rug. It is so cute!” —Sierra Ornelas
“Late Classic designs appear separate and less integrated into the design plane, whereas earlier Classic motifs are often visually linked into an overall pattern across the textile. Three-ply yarns with synthetic dyes from a mill in Germantown, Pennsylvania, help date this piece to the 1870s.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White-Gray | None | 13 |
| Weft | Wool | Germantown | 3 | z | S | Green | Vegetal/Synthetic? | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Germantown | 3 | z | S | Med & Dk Blue (Grayed) | Vegetal/Synthetic? | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Red | Synthetic | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Yellow | Synthetic | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 46 |
| Ecord | Wool | Handspun | 2 | z | S | Red | Synthetic | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Late Classic sarape
ca. 1865-1872
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
0.995 x 1.34 m; Tassels 0.080 m
52.756 x 39.173 in; Tassels 3.150 in
Catalog No. E-2167
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Guy H. Fitzgerald; collected by Mrs. Fitzgerald’s father, Wetter Henry, secretary of state of the New Mexico territory from 1870 to 1873.
“This must have been made right after the Navajos came back from Hweeldi (the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo in New Mexico). Whoever wove this was happy when they did it, because everything is connected; everything is even and symmetrical and there are no ‘anger points.’” —Barbara Ornelas
“Most 19th-century weavers were female, but a few men also wove. We have no evidence that their designs differed from one another. The stepped lines, rectangles, and crosses in this blanket were very popular design motifs during the Late Classic period.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | White | None | 9 |
| Warp | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Dk Brown | None | 9 |
| Warp | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Red | ? | 9 |
| Weft | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Red | Sampled (Not Tested?) | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Yellow | Synthetic | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Lt Green | Synthetic | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | White | None | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Yellow-Green | Indigo+Native | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Med Blue | Indigo | 46 |
| Ecord | Wool | Commercial | 3(3 | z | S)Z | Lt Green | Synthetic | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Late Classic sarape
ca. 1860-65
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
1.28 x 1.955 m; Tassels 0.070 m
76.969 x 50.394 in.; Tassels 2.756 in
Catalog No. E-2853
ASM purchase from E. E. Ellwood, 1955
“This is not really symmetrical, not uniform, but I love the squares. The weaver’s decision to go against the norm and weave huge squares was gutsy. For me, it brings to mind the rebellion of punk rock and teenage angst.” —Sierra Ornelas
“This piece is just not me. The diamonds at each end just don’t go with all these squares. I think you just have to separate out such designs.” —Barbara Ornelas
“Here we see four different reds from 3-ply commercial yarns and from imported cloth that was unraveled. All were dyed in Europe with crushed cochineal insects; chemicals called mordants were added to create different shades. We know this was woven in the 1860s because these particular yarns were replaced with other types in the late 1860s.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Saxony | 3 | z | S | White | None | 11 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 2 | Z | -- | Light | Red C Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 2 | Z | -- | Brt | Red D Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | z | S | White | None | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | Z | -- | Lt Green | Vegetal | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | Z | -- | Lt Yellow | Vegetal | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Saxony | 3 | Z | -- | Pink | B Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 71 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 3 | Z | -- | Brt Pink | E Cochineal, Tested 2004 | -- |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 2-3 | Z | -- | Maroon | A Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 71 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White+Gray | None | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 61 |
| Ecord | Wool | Saxony | 3(3 | z | S)Z | Pink | F Cochineal, Tested 2004 | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Late Classic sarape
ca. 1870-1880
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
1.37 x 1.88 m
74.016 x 53.937 in
Catalog No. E-2270
ASM E-2270.
Collected by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morgan Wood
Donated by Mrs. Wood (Nan S. Wood), 1946
“The crosses with the black tips are really cool. For the zigzags, the weaver did three turn-arounds of yarn for each tiny step, so it’s not a smooth diagonal. The weaver got much better as she went along.” —Barbara Ornelas
“The weaver used large amounts of red yarn that she unraveled from imported cloth. She tripled the thin raveled threads to equal the weight of her handspun white and indigo-dyed yarns. She also used three kinds of warp (foundation) yarn, which is rare compared to the prevalence of handspun wool in most blankets.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Commercial | 3 | z | S | Blue-Green | Vegetal | 10 |
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 10 |
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Brown | None | 10 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 3 | Z | -- | Red | Cochineal+Lac? | 66 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 61 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 61 |
| Ecord | Wool | Commercial | 3(3 | z | S)Z | Red | Cochineal+Lac? | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||
Late Classic serape
ca. 1870-1875
Tapestry weave, interlocked joins
1.31 x 1.795 m; Tassels 0.050 m
70.669 x 51.575 in.; Tassels 1.969 in
Catalog No. 8418
ASM purchase from Nelle A. Dermont, 1919
“I have heard many stories about the small hole woven into this type of blanket. Some say that while the weaver was working on this blanket somebody in their family passed away, so they left an opening for them. Another story is that the person who was weaving on the rug passed away; then whoever started it up again left an opening for that person. I don’t know—these are just some things that I have heard.” —Barbara Ornelas
“Writers and collectors have called such a hole the ‘Spider Woman’s hole,’ after the holy person who brought the knowledge and tools for weaving to the Navajo people.” —Ann Hedlund
| Function | Fiber | Type | Ply-Spin-Twist | Color | Dye | Count * | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warp | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 9 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 1-5(S)- | -- | -- | Red--Lighter? | B Coch 30+Lac 70, Tested 2004 | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Raveled | 1-5(S)- | -- | -- | Red--Lighter | A Lac 45+Coch 55, Tested 2004 | 51 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | White | None | 46 |
| Weft | Wool | Handspun | -- | Z | -- | Dk Blue | Indigo | 51 |
| Ecord | Wool | Handspun | 3 | z | S | Dk Blue | Indigo | 2 |
| * threads/inch | ||||||||