Many of you who follow our newsletter are aware that we are in Durango, Colorado, the home of Fort Lewis College and the Center of Southwest Studies.

The Center is the home of the Durango Collection, representing 800 years of weaving in the Southwest. It was put together by Mark Winter and Jackson Clark Sr. The living collection was donated to the Center by Richard and Mary Lynn Ballantine of Durango.

The Chief Blanket, woven by the Navajo Women of the 1800s, was one of the most prestigious possessions a Southwest American Indian could possess. The blankets were simple and elegant in their design, beautifully woven and accented the body of the weaver. 

One of the most interesting periods in the history of Navajo weaving began in the 1880s and went through the first decade of the 1900s. It is called the Transitional era because it marked the switch between the weaving of wearing blankets by Navajo women to weavings intended for sale.

The evolution to the commercial marketing of Navajo weaving actually began in 1882 when the railroad reached Gallup. For the first time there was a way to transport goods back to the East. The trading post owners were quick to realize the economic benefits that would accompany this potential new market for Navajo weaving.

Mae was born around 95 years ago. Even she does not know for sure how old she is because no one recorded the date when she was born.

We do know that she has been at it a long time!