Chinle-style Blanket (Diné)
Maker Once Known, Diné (Navajo) People (Southwestern United States)
Blanket (ca. 1950)
wool, aniline dye, vegetable dye
181.0 x 135.0 cm
Gift of Alfred J. Walker
76-23
This is a handspun wool blanket, made by a Diné (Navajo) weaver ca. 1950 in a Chinle style pattern, featuring striping bands of varying widths, and some bands with a diamond motif. This style grows out of the Transitional period as regional styles developed in the early 20th century, with the Chinle style characterized by its wide striping bands and palette of earth tones (yellow, gold, tan, brown, terra cotta, and pink being especially common). Diné tribal members Tyrrell Tapaha and Sháńdíín Brown examined this piece together while the Textile Photography Project was ongoing. Tyrrell, a 6th generation weaver in their own right, noted, "This was probably a much more vibrantly yellow when originally woven. The natural mordants used to fix vegetable dyes didn't fix the color as well as more modern metal containing salts."
Western audiences most often think of blankets as household goods for bedding or use as throws, but in many cultures, including Diné (Navajo) culture, blankets can be worn as clothing. In her recent exhibition Diné Textiles: Nizhónígo Hadadít’eh, They are Beautifully Dressed at RISD Museum, Shándíín emphasised the cultural meaning woven into these garments, and the beauty and resilience of the weavers, wearers, and weavings. Wearing blankets, called beeldléí, were multipurpose items, worn over the shoulders, and used as mats, rugs, tarps, or bedding. While we can't say if this particular blanket was worn, we can certainly keep that possibility in mind.
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- The Things that Make a Home Jessica Nelson
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- Decorative Techniques from Around the World Jessica Nelson