Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Taupou, post: 267985, member: 45&quot;]The Navajo have always been open to, and very good, at adapting/adopting parts of other cultures.&nbsp; It&#039;s part of what helped them survive as a tribe when they migrated to the Southwest around 1400.&nbsp;&nbsp; Afterall, Navajo silver work was learned from the Mexicans, weaving from the pueblo tribes, and &quot;Navajo&quot; rug designs from Oriental/Middle Eastern patterns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The only difficulty comes when it becomes hard to determine what &quot;traditional&quot; Navajo art really is.&nbsp; And when &quot;adapting&quot; becomes &quot;cultural appropriation.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>A few things are sure.&nbsp; The Navajo came up with the idea of making souvenir/collector items by putting sandpaintings on particle board.&nbsp; No other tribe does that.&nbsp; The Navajo loom and weaving technique is unique, and even if Mexican weavers copy the designs, a genuine Navajo weaving is one-of-a-kind.&nbsp; And while modern Navajo pottery usually consists of greenware purchased in Gallup, decorated with design patterns from other tribes or cultures...their traditional brown, pinon pitch-coated pottery fired in a bonfire isn&#039;t made by anyone else. </p><p><br /></p><p>I think it&#039;s that strong need to add a personal touch to something one makes, coupled with the willingness to look to other places for inspirations, that makes Navajo folk art so appealing, at least to me.&nbsp; I discovered the book &quot;Navajo Folk Art&quot; by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, long after I had already assembled a collection of pieces I didn&#039;t even realize were in that category.&nbsp; It&#039;s a book I highly recommend to anyone interested in authentic, if not necessarily main-stream, Navajo art.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in