Rug Spinning

 

 This is  Geraldine Yellowhair weaving a rug. She is spinning the small strings that form the base of the rug.  (see below)  The strings are the verticle base.  The wool yarn then is placed on the horizontal to form the rug. The pattern is memorized and she visualizes how it should be put on the loom.  The rug Geraldine is workinf on is shown in the background.  It is 4 feet by 6 feet.

Note the small verticle strings.  These
are the strings she is weaving

Legend has it that the partterns that are made were revealed to the men by the Spider Women.  In the past the men were the weavers.  This has now been taken over by the women.
     Geraldine learned weaving from her mother.  She has a 16 year old daughter that she is teaching.


The unit she is using is an old sewing machine
base.  The yarn is spun real tight and then
geathered on the ball at the left.

It is an art that is vanishing from the culture.  The rug shown here will retail in a trading post on the reservation for $6,000.  You can purchase the item from Geraldine for much less.  The have to sell rugs and make various trinkets to survive.