Learn About the Art > About Navajo Rugs > Navajo Weaving: Historical Periods > Navajo "Chief" Blanket
The Navajo "Chief" Blanket
Navajo First Phase "Ute Style" Chief Blankets: circa 1800-1860Finely-woven of hand-spun churro wool with natural white and dark brown wools and indigo blue-dyed wool. Among the earliest Navajo blanket styles and a favored item of the Ute tribe to trade for, the Chief Blanket was woven on a loom that was wider than tall.
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Navajo Second Phase Chief Blankets: circa 1840-1880The example at right is woven with both hand-spun (natural white, dark brown and indigo dyed blue) and commercial trade wools (cochineal dyed red).
The second phase Chief Blanket develops rectangular motifs within the bands. The Second Phase style was popular into the early reservation days and was supplanted by the Third Phase. |
Third Phase Chief Blankets:
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