Navajo Second Phase Chief's Blanket

ca.  1870 
Size  59.5" H x 71" W 
Hand-Spun Wool and Woven in Colors of Cream, Indigo, Cochineal Raveled Reds, and with repairs executed with Aniline dyed wool. Dye tests on file.
Excellent Condition
A Navajo Second Phase Chief's Blanket, woven between approximately 1840 and 1870, is characterized by its horizontal striped pattern, building on the simpler First Phase design.  It features broad bands of Cochineal dyed red raveled wool, natural white, and dark brown or black churro wool, with the addition of fourteen Indigo rectangles or bars.  These rectangles are strategically placed within the red bands introducing more vivid and complex design elements yet retaining the First Phase's minimalist stripes.

These blankets were highly prized, often traded with Plains Indian tribes and worn as status symbols by leaders, though the Navajo themselves did not have chiefs.  The term "Chief's Blanket" reflects their value and association with wealth and prestige. Woven by Navajo women using handspun wool on upright looms, these textiles were tightly woven for durability and warmth, sometimes taking up to a year to complete. Their cultural significance is tied to Navajo weaving traditions, believed to be guided by Spider Woman, embodying harmony and balance (hózhóó).