Native American Great Navajo Two Grey Hills Style Flatweave Rug. Woven with geometric motifs in tones of cream, brown, and black.  

Size: 50 1/2 x 37 in. 

#8053 . 

Native American rug weaving has always been a tactile way for Native Americans to express important narrative symbols, conveying stories, values, and beliefs since its origins millennia ago. There is little surviving information about the true origins of weaving, given the limited lifespan and durability of the materials. However, since Native American rugs (particularly Navajo) share specific similarities with designs and techniques in ancient Europe, Asia, and particularly Africa, it can be assumed a shared ancestry puts rug-making origins at least around 10,000 BC, when the land bridge between Asia and North America was submerged at the end of the Ice Age. Symbols frequently seen in Native American rug weaving include animals such as wolves, eagles, deer, and horses. Abstract designs also often appear, including geometric shapes such as arrows, diamonds, triangles, and circles. Specific symbols vary depending on the tribe or even the individual artist. Diamonds in particular can represent the Four Sacred Mountains or the way the horizon looks reflected in water, related to many tribal origin myths. They can also symbolize the passage of time, with the symmetry of various shapes implying the endless Circle of Eternity. Although there is plenty of powerful symbolism associated with rug weaving, this tradition has been heavily debated within and without tribal groups over the past century due to the increasing presence of tourist-oriented designs which lack mystical qualities.