Last year we had the opportunity to accept a group of Navajo weavings from a family in Oregon. They had been passed down from a grandfather who had driven a truck in the 1920s on the Navajo Reservation delivering goods to trading posts. The design on one of the pieces was particularly interesting.

This weaving was owned by the Hubbell Trading Company’s wholesale house in Winslow, Arizona. J.L. Hubbell Jr. owned this company and operated between 1924 and 1953.

Gilbert Maxwell’s book Navajo Rugs, Past, Present and Future, which was published in 1963, was my first introduction to reading about Navajo weaving. I was 20 years old and had grown up around weaving, so I had a basic understanding of the art form.

But I really didn’t have a clue about its history.

Being a judge at the Gallup Ceremonial is a special honor. And not being discriminatory, I think that the weaving category is the most exciting.If you have been to the Santa Fe Indian Market, one of the things you will notice is that there are not many booths that feature Navajo weaving. That isn’t to say that some of the best weavers don’t show there. They do, but the number is limited.

For more than 20 years, Cowboys & Indians magazine has been one of the most popular publications for people who love and appreciate the Western and Native cultures. The magazine is so popular that people buy and sell past issues online.

Prior to the 1880s nearly all Navajo weavings, except for saddle blankets, were made to wear. The Chief Blankets are the best known, but other styles consisting primarily of stripes of alternating colors, primarily blue and brown, were also popular. These were called Moki blankets. The origin of the word is not known.

The Navajo people wove wearing blankets for around 200 years. They have woven floor rugs for more than 100 years. Many of these pieces are currently displayed on walls as works of art, but the original intent was for them to be used on the floor.

The term, “Navajo Chief Blanket” is a little misleading for a couple of reasons. First, the Navajos really did not have chiefs.

Over the years, we have sold many beautiful pieces that, years later, find their way back to the Gallery. Whenever that happens, it is always accompanied by memories of the artist.

I decided several years ago that it wasn't accurate to refer to every weaving made on a Navajo loom as a "rug." Of course, many weavings are made to be rugs, and most pieces made in the early and middle 20th century were intended for that use. But clearly, many modern Navajo weavings will never be on the floor. At some point, I decided it was rude to refer to these beautiful textiles as "rugs."

A couple of weeks ago, Howard Rowe and I had an opportunity to head out on the Northern Navajo Reservation to deliver some furniture to Marie Begay and her family.

Back at the turn of the 1900s, Navajo weavers were moving away from making the wearing blankets known throughout the Southwest. The Navajo had worn these blankets for over 100 years and traded them to other Native tribes.