Zuni Pueblo Woman’s Wool Manta [R]

These blanket dresses or mantas were worn either as a dress or as a shawl to be thrown over a dress. Most of the literature refers to this style of clothing as a manta, which is the Spanish word for blanket.

Pueblo textile weaving is a much older technique than that of the Navajo. Pueblo men are generally weavers, except at Zuni Pueblo, where women do this work. Among the Navajo tribe, women are generally the weavers. The pueblo never converted their weaving techniques from functional wearing objects to rugs as did the Navajo. The pueblo always wove clothing for pueblo use, not for sale.

This manta was woven with diagonal twill with hills and vales. The 5-inch wide borders were woven in diamond twill fashion. Both warp and weft are native handspun wool. The textile was woven of native wool that appears to be black and brown wool carded together. The textile is in excellent condition.

Pueblo textiles are much rarer than those of the Navajo. There are practically no pueblo weavers, except at Hopi, producing today. Even textile weaving at Hopi is rapidly dying out. The time is rapidly approaching where the only pueblo textiles one sees are those in collections.