Navajo Ganado Textile with Spiderwoman Crosses, c.1910

Item: AOR5358P
Material: handspun wool
Size: 98" x 56"
Period: Historic
Origin: Navajo

This is an early 20th century Navajo textile from the Ganado region featuring five large Spiderwoman crosses. The textile is entirely hand woven in native hand spun wool in natural ivory, dark brown, hand carded grey, and hand dyed aniline red. The field of carded grey is decorated with five elaborate dark brown directional crosses outlined in red with two box like tassels at each terminal. This particular cross motif is a symbol for the Navajo deity Spiderwoman who mythically taught the Navajo how to weave. Textiles with this design were encouraged by the trader Lorenzo Hubbel at the Hubbel Trading Post at the beginning of the 20th century.

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