Navajo Designs

        The Navajos say that they learned the art of blanket making from the Spider Woman but that she had learned it from the Spider who was a fine spinner. In gratitude to the Spider, Navajo weavers used to leave a tiny hole somewhere in each blanket, perhaps in the center or in some part of the design or along the edge, to symbolize the hole in the center of a spider's web. But the native traders tried to discourage the practice because people did not like to buy blankets with a hole in them. So the weavers learned to conceal the hole very carefully.
       The origin of the designs used by Navajo weavers is not certainly known. Navajo designs may represent ideas borrowed from the Pueblos, from the Spaniards, and from other sources. The earliest Navajo blankets have broad, horizontal stripes. Later many geometric figures, either alone or in combination with horizontal or vertical stripes, came to be used. The more common designs are triangles, squares, parallelograms, and diamonds. Often the outlines of the figures are broken in a stepped or terraced effect.
       The ordinary diamond pattern is sometimes called Large Star, after the morning star. Massed triangles may represent clouds and a zigzag line suggests lightning. The swastika, the oldest symbolic Navajo design, also is used. Many people attribute symbolic meanings to all designs used in Navajo weaving but, unless they also occur in Navajo ceremonial sand paintings, Navajo rug designs probably have no special tribal significance.
       In the Navajo Rain Chant, a legend is told that mentions the origin of a traditional blanket pattern known as Beautiful Design. According to the story, the rain god who lived at Rainbow Bridge on Navajo mountain was displeased with his wives and imprisoned them. During their imprisonment, they entertained themselves by devising Beautiful Design, a pattern of butterfly wings. The pattern was suggested to their minds when The great gambler, who was considered in Navajo religion to be an evil force, appeared before them in the form of a beautiful butterfly.
       These indigenous people have a belief that a blanket design, because it takes form in the weaver's mind, has the thoughts of the weaver woven into it. They say that if many blankets are made, the weaver will lose her mind. They call this "blanket sickness."
       Sometimes a weaver uses a lightning pattern for many blankets. The Navajos say that later she may develop sharp, lightning-like pains in her body because - she has woven too many blankets of this design. When this happens, the only cure, they say, is to call upon a medicine man. He prays over the weaver and massages her. Then he "winds" the pain into a string to "draw it out of the body" - that is the way the Indians describe the gestures of the medicine man. But the most important part of the treatment is to make a lightning sandpainting for the weaver. A sandpainting is a ceremonial picture made with sands of different colors. The patient will get well if his gods are pleased with the sandpainting. by Roberta Caldwell.

Navajo quilter Susan Hudson, Quilts episode.