Posted 4 years ago
gunnerjohn…
(1 item)
Measures about 17" by 18" Came from a very old military collection. Unknown origin, although the owner of the blanket lived and traveled through the USA.
Unknown Small Native American Blanket | ||
| Unsolved mystery items8160 of 96384 |  |  |
It isn't Native American, since it was woven on a standard horizontal floor loom.
The Navajo are the only U.S. tribe that weaves rugs (they haven't woven blankets since the 1800s), and they use a unique loom and weaving technique that results in four selvedge edges with loops in the corners, rather than fringe across both ends. It's physically impossible to weave a textile with fringe on both ends on a Navajo loom.
Although the fringe has been cut off (or worn off) it was originally knotted to prevent the rug from unraveling, which wouldn't be the case on a Navajo rug, with selvedge all the way around.
It is probably Mexican, unless the warp is wool, in which case it would be Chimayo (Hispanic, named for the village of Chimayo, New Mexico), and part of the Spanish Colonial Art heritage of northern New Mexico.