Featured Navajo purse?

This caught my eye and I immediately thought Navajo. To me, it has all the right indications.

The wool weaving is one piece, continuing from one side to the other.

It definitely seems hand-made. In fact, there's still a straight pin holding the black cloth inside to the wool.

Each side measures approximately 12" x 12".


Thank you in advance!

 

Strap:



strap continues down the sides to the bottom, with the two wool sides sewn to it


Front again;

 

I'm going to go with Guatemala , here....

It's the strap , eh !

old Navajo rugs are made into purses.....
but look like this..

 

newer Navajo... * Garlands*

 

That one sure looks like it. Was that one specifically identified as Guatemalan?

Thanks

 

no...as a matter of fact it's identified as Navajo......... but I ain't buying that !

I think.... she just thinks it is........

you decide...... my brain is getting foggy...

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1669767527/vintage-woven-purses-bags-guatemalan

 

My first impression was Chimayo, rather than Navajo.

Take a look at this site, where a handweaver is adding similar straps to Chimayo bags -

https://aspinnerweaver.blogspot.com/2012/11/chimayo-style.html

 

For whatever it's worth, I'm pretty sure that this weaving was intentionally made for the purpose of being turned into a purse / bag. It's not a 'found' weaving that was then repurposed.

 

I saw that.....but don't find this design to be Chimayo.....

.that said , I think I've been led astray by the WWW , & now I'm second guessing what I thought I knew.....

I've bought and sold Chimayo bags..... they didn't look like Pottery's bag , but maybe they evolved while I was napping ....

 

your likely right......I just don't like the way th red diamond, extends beyond the field..

 

That may be because the design extends into what became the seam, and is covered by the strap.

 

Dang-no wonder Navajo textiles vex my brain and wallet (like Chinese Ceramics !).

 

I think the operative weaving--- the grey weaving with the designs--- ends where it is attached to the strap running down the sides. In other words, the design is in fact cut-off as Komo says above.

I wonder if leaving a design uncompleted like that is a problem culturally. Perhaps not 'prohibited' but just bad form.

Im thinking I should post it on the Navajo weaving identification Facebook page and see what people there say.

I also want to deconstruct it, throw the strap and lining away and just keep the wool weaving. But maybe that's a bad idea.

 

I just remembered that I have seen some very fine Navajo weavings made into pillows - by the Navajo artist herself. So it is not impossible that the bag was made and assembled by a Navajo weaver as a new type of item to sell.

On the other hand, looking at this view, it looks like there are multiple warps used in the last 2 or 3 rows (on the right side of the pic), which would be more indicative of Chimayo/Mexican weaving technique -


At any rate, it is clearly a modern form of some sort, so traditional standards just may not apply. And there is no reason a good handweaver of any ethnicity could not have made such an assemblage.

 

Thanks to all for the analysis.