A New Deal for Navajo Weaving: Reform and Revival of Dine Textiles

A New Deal for Navajo Weaving aimed to improve the quality and marketability of Diné weaving but failed to understand its cultural significance, leading to the decline of weaving and the marginalization of Navajo women. Federal programs such as the Southwest Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory, Native natural dye recipes, portfolios of weaving designs, and consumer education were ineffective and marginalized Navajo women.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2024
Publisher: University of Arizona Press

A New Deal for Navajo Weaving provides a comprehensive history of early to mid-twentieth-century Diné weaving projects undertaken by non-Natives with the aim of enhancing the quality and marketability of Navajo weaving. However, these efforts failed to recognize the cultural significance of weaving and its integral role in the lives of Diné women. By the 1920s, the durability and market value of Diné weavings had significantly declined, prompting Indian welfare advocates to initiate projects aimed at improving the materials and techniques used in weaving. These private initiatives served as models for federal programs implemented by New Deal administrators. Historian Jennifer McLerran delves into the development of these programs, including the Southwest Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory at Fort Wingate in New Mexico and the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild. Additionally, the federal government published Native natural dye recipes, portfolios of weaving designs, and educated consumers through exhibitions, all in an attempt to bring the Diné into the national economy. However, these tactics were ineffective as they marginalized Navajo women and overlooked the essential role weaving plays in the resilience and endurance of wider Diné culture.

Weight: 481g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780816553747