Tribal Rug?

Hello
This is a rug from my grandmother that lived in Southern California, however traveled the world. She had a collection of American Indian baskets and other things. The baskets were identified here on this forum and are Apache. So I am wondering if this rug is as well?

33"x54.5", feels like wool, but not certain of the material used.

Any and all information is always greatly appreciated! You guys rock! Thank you in advance!

 

It appears to be Navajo, 1920s/1930s. The Apache did not weave rugs. The Navajo were the only Native Americans who made rugs like this.

 

Thank you so much!!! Much appreciated!

 

ya, i'm thinking Tw0 Grey Hills eye dazzler ...early 1900's....

 

thank you! That was very helpful!

 

yes , it's wool.
looks like a nice soft silky wool , too !!

 

any more 1st nations stuff kicking around..... I'm not so good with furniture !

 

That is all of the that. I have other things, Art, China from Japan and old books from my Grandmother.

I remember she did have one more basket but I think that was sold in the estate sale.

 

I agree, Two Grey Hills. Beautiful natural colours.

 

A few things to consider about Navajo rugs. First, there are seven or eight (depending on if one considers Klagatoh a separate category) commonly used pattern names applied to rugs originally made around, and named for, trading posts. This started in the early 1920s, and evolved into designs containing specific elements for each area.

Not all rugs made, however, fit into any one of those regional styles. There are also Storm Patterns, Yei and Yeibechai rugs, and the earlier Chief Patterns and Eyedazzlers, but by far the majority of rugs do not have a pattern name.

The Two Grey Hills rug is characterized first, as being made from very finely-spun wool, resulting in dense, tightly woven rugs, by far the most technically-skilled of all Navajo weavings. The average Navajo rug has
about 30 wefts per inch. Two Grey Hills average 45, and up to 80 is not uncommon.

They are made up of intricate patterns of natural colored blended wools of black, grey, browns, tan, ivory, and white. They have a central diamond and four corner elements, surrounded by one or more borders, the outside one black or dark brown.

This rug does not have the characteristics to be a Two Grey Hills, other than the black border and natural colors. It is not finely enough woven, and lacks the central diamond and intricate patterns. It is bold and graphic, and looks to be of handspun wool, but is not Two Grey Hills.

Eyedazzlers are named that because of their extravagant use of brilliant colors, produced when commercial aniline dyes came on the market in the 1880s. So this isn't an eyedazzler, either, although the term is frequently misapplied on line.

 

I still like 2 grey hills for the pattern and color......and it does look ...from here.....very tight and silky.............
but maybe eye dazzler was a bit over the top...

 

It would help to know how many weft stitches per inch this rug is. I was estimating, based on the 33" measurement given. Using the first and second photos, I divided down to half, then to 1/4, then all the way down to 1/32, which would be about the width of the black side border.

On the second photo, where the rug is folded back, it's fairly easy to count the stitches on the white band, (which looks like it's slightly wider than the black side border), and came up with around 18-24. Nowhere near the average 45 found on a Two Grey Hills.

The finest Navajo rug ever woven was a Two Grey Hills, by Daisy Taugelchee, who was considered the best Navajo rug weaver ever. She made rugs over 115 per inch. No one else really came close, but the Two Grey Hills rugs, generally, are the finest woven.

If you want to find out for sure, you might contact Mark Winters at the Toadlena Trading Post. He wrote the book The Master Weavers: Celebrating one Hundred Years of Navajo Textile Artists from the Toadlena/Two Grey Hills Weaving Region. His contact information is on the trading post's web site. He's the recognized expert today on Two Grey Hills.

 

yes...do contact him please..!!!

 

From the photos and description of the feel, it seems to be churro wool, which would be consistent with a pre-1930s date.