Alice Nez, Edith Simonson, Lorraine
Herder, Evelyn Simonson, Nadine Narindrankura--
Four Generations on Big Mountain
Alice Nez's loom with double saddle blanket, June 30, 2001 (left),
and the finished saddle blanket (right). Alice Nez was
94 when she wove this; it's likely that she was older and is
probably over 100 years old in 2003. NFS.
MBM-333.
This eloquent single saddle-size blanket is one of the most recent
Alice Nez has woven--of entirely handprocessed and handspun natural
color Churro wool from her own flock--in natural black, natural
cream/white, grey/brown multi, gold/redmesa brown--it has many
"pathways," which her daughter told us were intentionally
woven into this chief's saddle blanket design. Alice Nez has
said this may be one of her last weavings, because her eyesight
is dimming, although her mind and spirit remain as sharp as ever.
Her daughter Edith explained that when you weave a chief's pattern
blanket like this many weaver's pathways have to be woven in...
29.25 in. x 29.25 in. NOT FOR SALE.Below: Alice Nez, then age 94, at meeting of Hopi and Dine' on the theme of "Water Is Life," hosted at her home on Big Mountain, June 30, 2001, to discuss alternatives to the use of drinking water to transport coal.
Handspun Churro yarn by Alice Nez, age 102, June 2009. Natural, vegetal dyed (wild carrot gold), and commercial turquoise dyed yarn. Some of the yarn has been sold, the rest is now part of our organization's collection.
MBM-192. Alice
Nez. Buoyant and exuberant chief's pattern blanket in all handspun
churro wool, natural white, dark brown, multitan/grey, black,
and commercial-dyed turquoise, 36.25 x 27.25. Returned to weaver
at her request and sold.
MBM-379. Evelyn Simonson. Glowing,
all handspun natural and vegetal-dyed (wild carrot, lichen) churro
from her own sheep. A classic, powerful, and strong blanket that
could go on the floor or anywhere, 32 in. x 23.5 in. This
weaving was on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition that opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving
at the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (Returned to weaver at her
request, July 2005).
Edith
Simonson, Alice Nez's daughter and a master weaver , handspinner,
and churro woolgrower. She is also a gracious host and excellent
cook who helped feed all the "Water Is Life" meeting
participants with very savory mutton stew, blue corn mush, frybread,
and more.
MBM-528. Edith
Simonson. Glowing, complex all-handspun Churro blanket in
natural and vegetal-dyed (wild carrot gold), 30.5 in. x 23.5
in., soft and powerful. A double theme of stacked clouds, vegetation,
and water (in reverse twill bands), and an expanding symphony
of radiating colors and forms of light Red Mesa, natural white,
dark chocolate brown, medium brown, light apricot. This is a
rare and unique all-Churro traditional Dine' blanket by a master
handspinner and Churro sheep raiser. ($800)
And
here is a photo of some handspun Churro yarn by Edith Simonson's
mother, Alice Nez, age 102, received in June 2009. Some
has been sold as a special order, the rest is NFS, but is part
of our Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land collection of this
amazing beauty and the lifeways that create it.
MBM-515.
Edith Simonson. Traditional, all-handspun natural colored
Churro and wild carrot. Returned to weaver at her request.
MBM-514.
Edith Simonson. All-natural colors handspun Churro blanket
in black, cream, dark brown, dark grey, brown/grey, white, light
"apriot" ed Mesa, light tan, with central reverse twill
band of light Red Mesa and cream white, 40.5 in. x 31 in., vegetation
and stacked clouds and water design. SOLD.
MBM-516. Edith
Simonson. The colors in this photo are not entirely accurate.
This 26 wefts/ per inch blanket is woven of all-handspun Churro
in a tight and finely spun "Two Grey Hills" design
with classic mesa border, 39 in. x 22 in. The central black lake
of emergence centers the design within a Spider Woman four directions
cross surrounded by red stacked clouds/mesas. In natural black,
white, light grey, and commercial dyed red. Returned to weaver
at her request.
MBM-459.
Edith Simsonson. A glowing, all-handspun churro wool blanket
(Crystal/Wide Ruins design), with traditional vegetation and
water motifs, 24 in. x 15 in., in all natural churro colors of
white, black, tan, brown/grey, and commercial-dyed red. Returned
to weaver at her request, 10/05.
MBM-467. Edith
Simonson. All handspun natural
color churro large "Storm Pattern" weaving, glowing
with energy and the variegated colors of natural churro fleece,
handspun from her own sheep by this master weaver and wool processor,
39.5 in. x 29.75 in., in natural black, white, red mesa, multigreys and browns. Returned to weaver at her request, 10/05.
MBM-419.
Edith Simonson, handspun churro lambswool "dazzler"
blanket, 34.75 in. x 23.85 in., in natural black, white, tan/grey/nulti,
and commercial-dyed red, with weaver's pathway. This
weaving is on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition that opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving
at the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (Returned to weaver at her request,
July 2005).
MBM-420.
Edith Simonson, handspun churro lambswool Crystal design
blanket, with water and plant motifs, 35 x 25.25 in., grey, black,
white, red/brown, ochre. This weaving is on sale at
the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the "Native Goods"
Museum Shop, in conjunction with the special exhibition that
opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving at the Arizona State
Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century Rugs / 21st Century
Views." (SOLD, February 2005).
MBM-433.
Edith Simonson. Glowing all handspun natural color churro
wool, including lambswool, from her own flock, in black, warm
Red Mesa, grey/brown, antique brown, and white, 29.25 in. x 31.25
in. Returned to weaver at her request, October 2005.
Zonnie Yellowhair
MBM-421.
Zonnie Yellowhair, elder, almost
blind , has woven this eloquent traditional blanket with ceremonial
"queue" themes and wavy-line water motifs in all handspun
natural and vegetal-dyed Churro (with two edge bands of commercial
wool), 27.75 in. x 23.75 in. [SOLD]
MBM-422. Another
weaving by almost-blind elder Zonnie Yellowhair, a relative of
the Edith Simonson. This and the following weaving are unusual
in that the weaver has left a long fringe of her cotton warp
on both sides of the weaving. This "checkerboard" chief's
blanket design is all handspun churro in natural white and black
and commercial,-dyed red and dark blue, 22.5 in. x 24 in. (without
fringe). This weaving was on sale at the Arizona State
Museum, Tucson, in the "Native Goods" Museum Shop,
in conjunction with the special exhibition that opened Oct. 23,
2004, "Navajo Weaving at the Arizona State Museum: 19th
Century Blankets / 20th Century Rugs / 21st Century Views."
(SOLD, Feb. 2005).
MBM-423. Third
weaving by almost-blind elder Zonnie Yellowhair, a relative of
the Edith Simonson. This is unusual in that the weaver has left
a long fringe of her cotton warp on both sides of the weaving.
Woven of all natural handspun churro, in white, red mesa/brown,
and black, 24 in. x 19.5 in. (without the fringe). $125 ($75
to the weaver; $50 is a tax-deductible donation. This
weaving was on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition that opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving
at the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (SOLD, Feb. 2005).
MBM-233.
Edith Simonson, a daughter of Alice Nez. All handspun natural
churro wool in black, two shades of grey-brown, dark brown, natural
white, 35.25 in. x 29 in. Like her mother, who recently celebrated
her 95th birthday (in 2001), Edith continues to weave in the
old-time Dine' traditional style with an amazing range of rare
natural colors from her own free-ranging churro sheep--hand-shorn,
hand-carded, and handspun into eloquent and powerful blankets
whose designs speak of the life of the Earth. SOLD.
MBM-234.
Edith Simonson. This blanket glows with brilliant depth
of natural churro wool color--shades of brown-grey, natural white,
black, and a rich chocolate brown, 36.5 in. x 28.75 in. SOLD.
MBM-251. Edith
Simonson, classic diamond design blanket in all natural handspun
churro wool, 24.5 in. x 16.5 in., white, dark brown, black, multigrey,
and a wonderful warm glowing chocolare brown. SOLD at Cultural
Survival winter bazaar, 12/6/03.
MBM-253. Edith Simonson,
all handspun natural and turquoise-dyed churro, 37 in. x 25-1/8
in., white, tan, dark brown, deep rich chocolate, This
weavingwas on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition, opening Oct. 23, "Navajo Weaving at
the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (Returned to weaver at her
requst, 10/05.)
Alice Nez, age 95, and her daughter,
Edith Simonson, visiting me in Hardrock after the wool buy, June
30, 2002.
MBM-252. Edith
Simonson, all handspun natural and turquoise-dyed churro wool,
25.5 x 17. SOLD at the Cultural Survival 30th Anniversary
bazaar, May 2002.
MBM-203. 28.25
in. x 20.5 in. These
two weavings by Edith Simonson are sold, but similar ones can
be commissioned. All handspun, natural color churro wool. Four
shades of wool from different sheep are in these weavings--natural
white, dark brown, multi tan, black. SOLD.
MBM-204. Edith
Simonson, 28.25 in. x 21 in. SOLD.
Nadine Narindrankura, at
age 12, with her great-grandmother, Alice Nez, June 30, 2001.
Nadine, who will begin high school in the fall, wove these two
weavings (below).
MBM-191b. 23
in. x 12 in., all natural handspun churro wool. SOLD.
MBM-191a. Nadine
Narindrankura, age 12, all handspun natural colored churro
wool, 24.5 x 15, with weaver's pathway. SOLD.
LORRAINE HERDER, a daughter of Alice Nez
MBM-496. Lorraine Herder. All handspun "sampler" of vegetal-dyed and natural churro fleece. The washed and dyed wool from which this was spun and woven have all dried up in the catastrophic drought. Here are the eight vegetable colors in this blanket, 18 in. x 14 in., whose design is of vegetation and water: prickly pear (pink), tumbleweed (light green), cliff rose (light yellow), sage (light Naples yellow), Navajo tea (darker Naples yellow), mistletoe (darker green), snakeweed (lighter green), tumbleweed (tan), and natural white, antique grey, and dark brown churro.
Three churro fleece vegetable-dyed colors (woven into blanket MBM-496, above), by Lorraine Herder.
MBM-450.
Lorraine Herder. All handspun
natural and vegetal-dyed churro from her own flock, traditional
"Wide Ruins/Crystal" blanket with vegetation and water
motifs, 21.5 in. x 17.75. in. Black, light grey, grey, brown,
white, and vegetal-dyed wild carrot, rock lichen, and oak bark.
Returned to weaver at her request, October 2005.
MBM-451.
Lorraine Herder. All handspun
natural churro and commercial-dyed red handspun from her own
flock (black, white, four types/shades of grey), blanket design
with stepped cloud/mesa motifs, vegetation, and water, 29.5 in.
x 19 in. Returned to weaver art her request, October 2005.
MBM-452. Lorraine Herder. Third
of three recently received all-handspun natural and vegetal-dyed
churro blankets, woven with fleece from her own flock.Water and
vegetation motifs, with reverse twill. Black, light grey, grey,
tan, white, and vegetal-dyed wild carrot, rock lichen, and oak
bark, 25 in. x 16 in. (Returned to weaver at her request,
June 2005.)
MBM-439. Lorraine Herder. All
handspun natural and vegetal-dyed churro yarn (with several wefts
of commercial maroon wool yarn), Wide Ruins/Crystal design blanket
with water and vegetation motifs, 22.5 in. x 16.25 in. This
weaving was on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition that opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving
at the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (SOLD, February 2005).
MBM-440.
Lorraine Herder. All handspun
natural and vegetal-dyed churro blanket, Wide Ruins/Crystal design,
with water and vegetation motifs, 37.5 in. x 25. in. Natural
churro colors: white, Red Mesa, medium antique brown. Vegetal
-dyed colors: walnut, rabbit brush (big), tumbleweed, canyaigre
root, lichen (rock mold), oak bark, Mormon tea. This
weaving was on sale at the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, in the
"Native Goods" Museum Shop, in conjunction with the
special exhibition that opened Oct. 23, 2004, "Navajo Weaving
at the Arizona State Museum: 19th Century Blankets / 20th Century
Rugs / 21st Century Views." (SOLD, February 2005)
MBM-254. Lorraine Herder is a daughter of Alice Nez
and sister of Edith Simonson. This strong Wide Ruins design blanket
is woven of all handspun natural and commercial blue dyed churro
wool, 23 x 16.25 in. SOLD at Cultural Survival Winter
Bazaar, December 7-8, 2002.
MBM-255. Lorraine Herder's glowing pictorial mat with
prayer feathers flanking the four directions and the four sacred
mountains, in burnt orange, pale yellow, black, light tan, warm
medium brown, and white, 14.75 in. x 12 in., tightly woven and
with a highly detailed border--a lot of power in a small weaving!
SOLD at Cultural Survival summer bazaar, Tiverton, RI,
Aug. 11, 2002
A corner of the finished weaving by Alice Nez,
with two firestarters shown. These "empty field" double
saddle blankets with their subtle variations of color and form
evoking the land and sky as it moves from dawn to dusk, are one
of the oldest styles of Dine' (Navajo) weaving. And the weavers
of Black Mesa are some of the few still weaving these traditional
and powerful blankets in the handspun churro wool that is seen
in the first blankets woven by the Dine'. This blanket is not
for sale, but others may be commissioned, and there are two currently
for sale by Betty Nez, which you can see on the weavings
for sale page (MBM-209, MBM-210).
Maggie Biakeddy &
Mary Biakeddy, Mother & Daughter, Big Mountain (relatives
of Alice Nez)
MBM-232. Maggie
Biakeddy, handspun and commercial wool storm pattern design,
30 in. x 20 in.. SOLD.
MBM-231.
Mary Biakeddy, brilliant old-style
design blanket woven of commercial wool in a deep red field with
black and white, 49.25 in. x 30 in. SOLD.
Write to: Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land, P.O. Box 543, Newton, MA 02456
or email : carol@migrations.com to place an order, or for more information.
Copyright © 1998 -2007 Carol Snyder Halberstadt, Migrations. All rights reserved. Migrations and Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land are trademarks of Migrations.
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