It has often been said "the land was good for nothing else so we gave it to the Indians". Nothing could be further from the truth. The original Navajo, the T'aa dine' chose this very area some 6 to 7 centuries age. This nomadic people arrived and apparently lived in harmony with the existing Anasazi until the latters' disapearence or assimilation.

Navajo Stories

It has often been said “the land was good for nothing else so we gave it to the Indians”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The original Navajo, the T’aa dine’ chose this very area some 6 to 7 centuries age. This nomadic people arrived and apparently lived in harmony with the existing Anasazi until the latters’ disapearence or assimilation.

The first world, where Navajos originated, was inhabited by Insect People of twelve types. For their sins of adultery and constant quarreling, the gods expelled them by sending a wall of water from all directions. The Insect People flew up into the second world, guided through a hole in the sky by a cliff swallow. The second world was a barren world inhabited by Swallow People. They decided to stay anyway, but after 24 days, one of the Insect People made love to the wife of the Swallow People’s chief. They were expelled to the third world; the white face of the wind told them of an opening. The third world was a barren world of Grasshopper People. Again, the Insect People were expelled for philandering after 24 days. The red face of the wind guided them to the hole to the fourth world. This world was inhabited by animals and Pueblos, with whom the Insect People coexisted peacefully. The gods made people in human form from ears of corn, different colors of corn becoming different tribes. The Insect People intermarried with them, and their descendants eventually looked fully human. In time, the men and women argued and decided to live apart. But both groups engaged in unnatural sex acts, and eventually the women were starving, so they got back together. The gods were displeased by their sins, though, and sent a wall of water upon them. The people noticed animals running and sent cicadas to investigate. They escaped the floodwaters by climbing into a fast-growing reed. Cicada dug an entrance into the fifth world, which was inhabited by grebes. The grebes said that people could have that world if they could survive plunging arrows into their heart. The cicadas met this challenge (they bear the scars on their sides still), and people live in the fifth world today.

Navajo Code Talkers World War II True Story

The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Johnston believed Navajo answered the military requirement for an undecipherable code because Navajo is an unwritten language of extreme complexity. Its syntax and tonal qualities, not to mention dialects, make it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. It has no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest. So the Japanese couldn?t understand the language. Early in 1942, Johnston met with Major General Clayton B. Vogel, the commanding general of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and his staff to convince them of the Navajo language’s value as code. Johnston staged tests under simulated combat conditions, demonstrating that Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line English message in 20 seconds. Machines of the time required 30 minutes for the same action. In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp. They developed a dictionary and numerous words for military terms. The dictionary and all code words had to be memorized during training.

Once a Navajo code talker completed his training, he was sent to a Marine unit deployed in the Pacific theater. The code talkers’ primary job was to talk, transmitting information on tactics and troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield communications over telephones and radios. They also acted as messengers, and performed general Marine duties.

The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained baffled by the Navajo language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General Seizo Arisue, said that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, they never cracked the code used by the Marines.

Weaving of Navajo

Navajo weaving exist between the 1804 - 1850 period, but the last 30 years of the period is well represented Bayeta had been introduced earlier, the famous cochineal red dye from Mexico was popular and available but rarely used on Navajo homespun during this period as it was very expensive. The Navajo did use cochineal by unraveling other Mexican weavings. Saxony yarn, from Europe was popular with the Navajo in this period.
Most designs were alternating stripes in the earlier portion of the period to a combination of stripes and diamonds, triangles, and zig-zag lines in the later period. An occasional example of serrated, diagonal lines encompassed within a given stripe exists.
The Classic Period is known for its blankets. These were made for wearing. They were designed for warmth and as such are soft, tight and not heavy. Usually the weft count (number of weft threads in an inch) would exceed 40. Sixty is not unusual. Often these blankets, known as “Chiefs Blankets,” (see picture) were given as gifts to other Indian leaders and to American military and political authorities. Blankets were also a trade item affordable only to the well to do. It was probably this economic status as well as the “leader to leader” gift that resulted in its naming. It is in this context that the latter phase of the Classic Period and the subsequent Eye Dazzler Period are further time defined. It must be remembered that designs from this era were used well into the twentieth century and cannot be used exclusively to date a blanket or rug. (The designs described below are the norm, certainly others existed as well.)

I - Chief’s Blanket, Classic Period

This is the earliest phase and dates from1850 to 1865. The designs are usually three red and indigo blue patterned stripes between broad black and white stripes. Colors do vary.

II - Chief’s Blanket, Classic Period

This is a transition from the simple Phase I to the more elaborate Phase III. Usually the red and blue ( or other color ) stripes are interrupted along their length by shorter colored bands. Again, three is the most often encountered number. The dominatn, wide, alternating black and white bands still exist. From 1860 - 1875.

III - Chief’s Blanket Classic Period

This pattern still retains the wide black and white bands but now depicts stepped triangles in the corners and on the sides and ends as well as a stepped diamond as a center design. Reds and blues are most often used, however, a plethora of other colors are often encountered. This includes purples, oranges and many shades of brown. The third phase pattern was so popular that it was used well after the demise of the wearing blanket and simply carried over into the weaving of rug pattersn. For this reason, a Third Phase Chief’s Blanket, i.e. a soft, fairly this, tightly wovan weaving can be dated approximately 1875 - 1900. If the piece is heavier, more in keeping with a rug, it probably dates from 1890 to the present. A rug of this later period, regardless of it’s pattern, is rarely considered as an example of the Classic Period of Navajo Weaving, but is a highly collectible piece showing the influence and carryover of design and techniques to that which the economy dictated be made.

Tag: Navajo Stories From Weaving To World War II True Story