Rug -- Whirling Log? -- Seeking information

Hello. This Native American rug has been safely stored in my family home for many years. It is approx. 26 inches x 39 inches. I would love to know more about it. I think it may be Navajo? And maybe it is referred to as the Whirling Log design? I am wondering about its potential value to a collector? Any information about its history, meaning, etc. will be appreciated! Thank you.

 

looks Navajo..... close ups would help....
we live and die by clear crisp photo's here..

where did it come from?

 

Hi! I will try to post some close ups. I am just sort of learning how to do this and am having a bit of trouble getting the photos the right size. Thanks!

 

I just now posted a few more pictures. Also, I do not know where it came from. My parents and uncle loved Native American art and acquired various items over the years. It has been packed away for many years. Unfortunately my parents and uncle are no longer living so I cannot ask them about it.

 

@2manybooks

 

@Taupou

 

Yes, your weaving is Navajo, probably dating to the first quarter of the 20th century. The "whirling log" was a common design before it was co-opted by the Nazis. The yarn is handspun, in the natural colors of the sheep's fleece (undyed) and looks like churro wool, (which should feel soft and smooth). This would also place the date before the 1930's, when the US government decided to "improve" the Navajo sheep by eliminating most of the traditional churro and introducing the merino breed.

An interesting feature about your rug is its original orientation on the loom. The Navajo weave on a vertical loom, with the warp threads stretched vertically between two beams. The weaver passes the weft threads back and forth in the horizontal direction, packing each pass down to effectively cover the warp threads. Usually, the longest dimension of the completed weaving runs in the same direction as the warp. The treatment of the finished edges of a Navajo weaving - the warp ends and the side selvages - are unique and can be distinguished. From your photos, it looks like the warp runs along the shorter dimension of your rug. This would mean it was an unusual set up for the loom, smaller than usual, or more probably the weaver planned to make more than one rug on the same warp. If that is the case, the two warp edges (along the brown borders) should look slightly different.

https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/online-exhibit/19-century-navajo-weaving-asm/navajo-weaving-methods

https://www.millicentrogers.org/pag...é) Weaving with Whirling,in a variety of ways.

 

I'm going to say, @2manybooks is amazing.

Definitely Navajo. Definitely pre- 1930.

 

Interesting. We see a lot of "Is this Navajo?" blankets here but this is the first one, in my memory, that actually was.

Debora

 

Great information!

 

Thank you, 2manybooks, for that very informative information and the links! It is all so interesting! Thanks to the others for their comments, too. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the value might be, of this rug? Are there specific, recommended methods to sell such an item? Are there specific, reputable companies which deal with such sales? I would appreciate any information. Thanks again.

 

We typically send people to Completed and Sold item listings on eBay for an idea of where collector interest (which drives value) lies. And a Google Images search will bring up examples with a similar design which are/were on offer elsewhere on the internet. Just be sure to distinguish between asking and sold prices.

Debora

 

And the whirling log image can limit its value: some people get tired of having to explain again and again that it predates the swastika, that it's an ancient symbol, that is has positive connotations, etc etc

 

From a quick internet browse, it actually appears to be the opposite.

Debora

 

I guess I was speaking more to my own experience selling locally, in an antique mall.

 

That must be frustrating, explaining over and over...


Debora

 

Sorry to chime-in on such an ancient post,but really, the answer that @2manybooks supplied is the kind we dream about when we share...damn !
PS-That'd be a Best Answer from me if I could give one (or if anyone here still did it anymore).

 

Think it only counts if the OP awards it Best Answer. But praise never comes too late.