hr~mclariclis t ~ourldSly fr~~r.si~crt.tl ~lic)rul~taiils. ant1 tl1t.y Trcl L11al they inltst IIO~lcnve it. I'lrcis crcatioti 111yt11 nlalccs the Sal-njo n being nit11 ur&$ils i11 tllc ci~rth,and cvcqllling they tl~i111~or d~) or cruiiic reflects tliis or-igi~r. Spider TT'onlnla, onc of the 1loly Puople ldlo lerl tlie Nm-rljo ul) out of the carlh, is ospc~-i;illyirnpc~rt;in t in Xi~vajoITI~~~IO!( IL!~ hccausc sllc taught tl~cnl!low tcr weavc. To thc N~irajo,lllc act tif ~vcavitlgwas a spirit~ualact, a way of rntddnq rcal and csprcssirig i~~tcrinr,rli~iric tmtlis. Spitler Rbi~ianwas a sc lnrcc ofir~spirntion for- the Sa~njo\x7otllcr1 I\-IEO ~-cI.L'all\-ays the wcnvcrs ill tl~eii- culLure. 1,ittlc- qiirls (lid nut cllousc to lea~~lhow to tvcuz-c: all !vonlen u-o~-c,ancl fi~rncnrlicst itlfi~~lc.ylit tlc gil-Is, ~wol)l)c~l~p i~ Il~circrutllcs, n-at chcti t llcir mot hers ivc'at-e. X qirl clliltl IC~TLICC~ lo wcaw as S~B~C~~TIIC'II Lo\i+~illi a~icl titlk - ~lal~lnllly.Accorcliliq to Ka~-cjolcgund, 1~11c11n hahy girl \lTas hnri~,tlic pal-cnts had t<j hrl slicler wch muwn over a lzolc rirld takt. svme of it to rill) o~crtllc t,al)y's ~TTTISarlrl l~i~t~rls.'Illeti, whcii shc grelv 1111, sIiC ~*t.nul(l11c ~t tirc of \v~;~~-i~tg. Am;uiiiqly, n Savajo womnii did not ivurl~horn a clcsign: insicad, she car~-icr!ihe prtttrn~fill- thc I~l~lnketst~c rvt-ls mt~I<iiigtni-ou~lrl ill her head. She clid alot wca~cin strsiglit lines, but in sections that \vc.r-e its l~t~gc;IS her arms could rcauh. Sl~cI ~clicz-cd that Spidcr- JVolnaii co~~tt-ollcclailrf clir-cc-tcrl t l~cclcsigr~. 111 N;~xljo culturc, cl-c~\ronJaFl \~o\~e,not just intli~idualsrlcsignclictl rrs artists. r11lcl wel? woman \vo\+c~vi( h (he incredi1)lc nianl~al dcxtcrity pnssihlc nt~lyin a cult €1I*C \vhcr.c wcnving was part and paroc1 of heing. ?hc 1)lanl~eisthese \vomcn pr-c ~rluucd,t hen, wcrc n( 31 syml )t)li~+ but rcy,r+cscntctiinstcuti thc spirit of thc wcavc1- \\-if11 Spiclcr IRlrnu11 n*orlcingt hrougl~her: 'Illc blatlket s 1rn)vidcrl a material Iink miill a spiriLtla1. living la~iclsca~)~.'Ilic 1)orsontvcariug iht. hlankct hccai~~ctf~c II~IIII~~I hcarcr of this li~ilr.111 t11c bcgir~ui~ag, bltt~dretswere woven to he wunll~pmcirihers of the tril~cnlzd sorrrotirnes tmdsrl 1vii11 o~licrtrihcs arid the, ~vliitcrrian. 'l7~ hlnnkets wcr-c worn ctr.rq~ctlo-cr the shot~l(lcrsin n variety of ways, ant1 thc ~Icsifinsfollo-ed 11~\~crlical lir~cs of [tic body. '1%~ ccntrr of lhc c~csigti\~~!.l-ls at thc spir-lc,wii 11 1)r-calisat thc sl~oulrlct-sancl a,joinin~of tlic cJesig11 n-hcrc Lllc rntls of ~hc 1)lanket tticl at tllc ocncer of~tllcchest. 'Illc ~11:1illcctswcir somc.iimcs 1)lacctl c~rllllc gr-c~~~ntl10 sit nil. 1111f t11cy u-crc 11Cx'Ct- ~~serlas r-11gs. 'l'f~cy wcrc, Ilonrcv~r,usctl 3s 1~~1l.~lit~ilc~t~ ~111il ~)fien llu ng irl cioon~nys. :I11 Na\-;ljo hlntlltcts trcrc wt n.c.11 011 vertical Ioonls, ;l lyy)c c IT lor~n~ 1v11( jsc r ~riginis t~iikiio\~r~,11ur pcrhaps rfcx-clopctl 1)cc;insc of spacc li n~itations.,Ic.cordiil<~ t tr l~cgcrltl,Spiclcr I\>)mi111 ,q;~vt, n-cu\.ing irzstsllctivlls, but SIF~I~ET,\li111 SIIO\VC(~ t IIC Kava-jo IIO\V to co~isiructtlieir. loo~ns.rntcrAeslit~gly, each l{)o111is mn(1e lo or-clcr- to the sy~ecificsize of each 1)larll~ct. firs^, tivo 11r jsts urc sct zlprigllt in the qr-orlntl. hcltl irl pliicc 111; I;u-gCstollcs. Tlicri l~cml-t~r; arc It~sli~tl1101-izolrtally at tlic to11 at1.c-l t,oitom to L~rni:I rcctu~lgul;tt-frLime. A~otl~cr pr~ir- ( 11' hc l~-i~c)~lti~I11c:uns 11 olds t ~FC wcavialg. 'I'hcsc arc firsi ~,lacutlOII thc grn~t~lcland thc IK~) t hrcads - tllc 1-crtical thi-cads illat cktunrzine thc lunqth iultl l,rer~dtl~of the l~lniikct- arc stnang it1 il lig~ii-c-right cc jtifignmliot~l)ctwec~i tllc ~IVCI~CUIIIS. miis is then rr~isctlimcl attacllcrl ii~siclethe frame - not tlircctly 10 111~l~c;~i~l. 11111 to ;I tunsiuxi pcrlc 111.1~11)~ ro1)t' six to tc11 ii~~licsl~clnw tllc upper slrl,pot-t t,catn. 'l*hc 1owc1-~arp Ileam is ticrl rlircctly to tllc Iowcr sulq~cn-thcam. ,Wcs the warp il~rcadsart. i11 pZacc, tlic tu--o stt-ing hurldlcs uscti to r-aisc or- lcnrci- ~IICIII ai-c mnrlc, The Iledtllcs arc tlscd to open ;i L L sl~et-l,"or- tcrtlpot-an spacc 11ctwcc11thc two 1>1;i11csof ~viu.p ttircads tllrt )ugh ivllicll tl~cwcf( yrl111 passes. Encli sllctl i.; llcltl rqwtl 1,y iusurtitlg a hattet~- a n-idc. flat stick .Uier- [he Fni has prissctl tliroagl~tl~c open shurl, 111rr 1):ltlcn is ~-c~~iovctlatlrE the yarn is pllsllctl it1 tr) 111ar.cwif 11 ;I \~~il~iil~co111h 01- ;1 hit wit11 tllc hattul~.l'hc Sa~a-jowonaan toolr gc~oilctisc of. hul- I oc ,Is - paficlll~l~~dhc~ I.)iltt~11, tl~tXl(( SC~Kil'iltCITT117) illl(1 itl~~l-tWl'ft - nllrl thc rnct~~irig,rot1111 lll~lt11-as rlsctl to \)cat Ihc weft illto place. 'Shcsc. tr )c 11sIvcrc consitlcscrl s~~cr-cclatlcl ivcru Tr-r1111crllly 1)assccl tloil-ti li-om gcnrraliot~tc~ gcrlc~.atinn. 111 Irni-rrl ~~r.cutElcr-tilt, 100111 was plnccri outsiclc OIC rkwr vf Itlc y a11-- ;!TO TIC SaK!ir, loo~~~ dwcIling placc or hogan, u sinlcturc r rF,grc;~tspit-itual I b~t115 11~, I\) )I]< 11\:.I +{jrl~< si~riific;incc.'I'lic t.ritr:~uoc al\x-;-lzysfaccrl cast. ttnvasc~stllc risiilq san. Il~ehogan was shnpcd likc a cnnc clr~rlhad a llolc irl thle IT )r)f for stnol<cto escape. Tt was built of-roulcs. caill~.I( )gs - arlj-tlaing on hand. 711c Sii~.aiol~clicvcd tl~ur ~l~c Ilogati lind 1)cctl cic.si,qrlnt.cl as a ~,cr?'cctIlc ,~ncfrrr "TICPcoplc" by tlzc 1 July IJcc,111~. Itlsicic tllc cir-c~lmfcrcnceof the h(~i$+tl.111~ Savqjr) fclt ~iift'.'1'11~ cioor pro~idcda place li~rg(>orl sllir-it s t n ciiter ant1 had to cscnpe. Navajlr socicty wi.r~s~natrilirlcal and ~nat~-iloc;~l.011~ Iraccd 01~'s dcscc~lttl~rouqll t11c mot3ius and 1ivc.t l war tlic tilotl~cr.'l'herc w ** \\-as no jckint ( nvr~crship(if prsy~crty. anrl taslrs wcrc strictly rlivirlerl 1,:- ssx. Shccp and ~LKIISn*crc o~vned ant1 iakt.11 curt r )f the ~\~c>mc.n;horses and rnz~lcshy allr ~ncu.121~';dth was COUII~KC~ in 11uml)crsor sli cc ) ;111( I IIC~CISof llorscs, \\-ifll t11c SIIUCII;111(1 go:its ~-cprcsci~tiizgI.oo~l ~li1~1 itlc0111~ ant1 illc Ilol-scs nlol)ili(y. Men rlitl tlzc work in the tjclrls ai-ld huilt the lioqnn; thc \?-omcii rlccr,raterl all(! f~z~-~lisllcrlthe hoq~izul aizd took urirc of it. :\s n-ca\-et-sant1 thc owzcrs uf'qoals atirl sliecl), Sawjo wronlen 11clrl an j~npuriant pli~ct.in thcil- r.tili~~re,711c rnagniGcezli blanlcci s tRtq ~vovccottld not Ilin-c bccn crcnlrd 1)y ;i~iyonc~vlir) had thc sliqhlest clottl~tof' liur irlcrltily. As thc Navajo ivruiw1i IC;II-TICCI thuir \\-ccwing techtliqnes fiotn (llc , .., Plic\,ln, they were eqosetl LO b~tlzthe will a~ltlti~l~c~tt? 'I. I" ,, ,. mcthods ofwca\?ng. Hccausc it ~llo\vcdk)r- ~lior-c 11sc of color a-ld gr~~leriilclix~dt~ril ~ot~t.i-fiI 17y the WI'C~YCT,they PTU~CT'C~'C~k I 11sethc tape st^ tccliliic~~~c.In this tuchniclne, Il~eylr-11s al-c wr>Tetz i11 sccti{.)nsIhr-11 arc tlcft~lcd111; the rcach of the wca\-cr. nr~tc;~~tricrl fr-orn ctlgc to cdgc by n shuttle. l\licn ortc area is fi~~isl~ed,it is col~rrcrctcdto thu next scctiotl by hits of crz~ tvound togctltws on Ihc rlLqona2. 'TIIEs~joi t~irlgsarc \lsil)le in the hlankuts nnrl arc caller1 "lazy lines." ,sklthungh thc N;i~,:!ic~~r~lllcrl tl~ciz sheep, thyknew ~notllingof* thc IW~Sof hrecrliii~for liig11-~111ality~voul. I li~irconstat~t raiding of Spanish ~111dJ'uct )lo stoc.k, lic)~~cvcr;kept Nn~~!_ioherds in goocl shape. 'fl~cSlwtlislz had illtro(11lcctl to tlir Xe~r\\'orlrl Cllrltso shcey,, a lzartly hrccd fliai produccci fi~ir-c111nlity 11-001. 'Ihe Navqjn n-eavcs. sbcq>flock, ;~t~clIrt bgan, c:il.c.a l!)?tj Naviiu sherirt.cI their sheep \r.iIl~cast Icnivus, a mcthod that was 17 I1.R 11:51 bll~5l~.l'>lt )I- SL\Y >IEXIfO, 5 \s-l:,l1-11 Ilarclly likely to ~~rnx-irleIhc Iclr~gfiI)crs necclcd fi)r \~c.;~vi~zc,\vclI 51-:1; Yl I ;+.;,klIs ititc) tllc i~inctcciitltc-cntllry. T3y 1Ilc utlrI of tlic centlli~,thc trnrlcrs iiitroducetl shcui-s, and shomrers ;~Tsoarsivccl to Iic.1~).