Navajo (Diné) Folk Art Carving “Spider Woman” [SOLD]

Marvin Jim was born in 1966 and raised in a small rural community near Chinle, Arizona—traditional Navajo sheep and goat country. As a child, he made his own toys—trucks and people—carved from wood because there were no commercial toys available. In 1993, he married Grace Begay who said she grew up in an artistic family of weavers, wood carvers and basket makers.

It was Grace Begay who encouraged her husband to put his carving talents into making folk art objects. Jim has become one of the most innovative of the Navajo folk art artists in that he truly creates new items based on his heritage.

This pair of rattles represents the mythological Navajo legend of Spider Woman who is believed to have taught the Navajo women how to weave textiles. Before weavers sit down at the loom, they often rub their hands in spider webs to absorb the wisdom and skill of Spider Woman.

Each of these rattles was made by hollowing out a cottonwood root and carving the exterior to represent the figures. Objects were placed on the interior to provide the rattle. Jim carved the pair of rattles and his wife painted them.

One of the rattles shows Spider Woman with a handful of traditional weaving tools and the other rattle shows her holding a completed Navajo rug. A 6-1/4" x 6-1/4" block of wood has been drilled with two holes for displaying the rattles in an upright position.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the collection of Jan and Chuck Rosenak. Published in Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak. 1994, page 132.
Recommended Reading: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak.