Saddle or Child's Blanket

1875-1880

The Navajo wove waterproof wool blankets such as this small version, probably made for a child or as a saddle blanket. In 1863 the U.S. Army forcibly removed the Navajo from Arizona to Bosque Redondo detention camp in New Mexico and killed the tribe’s churro sheep. Ingenious weavers combined commercial wool with unraveled, non-Native red flannel to create new designs with colorful details, as seen here. During captivity, weaving became the primary source of income. In 1868 the Navajo returned to their homelands, and weaving flourished with the advent of the railroad and the establishment of trading posts.