Navajo Third Phase Chief Pattern Rug [SOLD]

Probably the most famous of the classic Navajo blankets is the simple striped Chief Blanket.  One would assume that it was made for and worn by Navajo Chiefs, however, there were no Navajo Chiefs.  It is famous because it was so highly desired by Chiefs of the Plains Indian tribes.  It became a status symbol among the Plains warriors.  They traded horses, silver, buffalo robes, bayeta fabric or whatever they had for a blanket.  The simple stripe blanket was the one known today as the Ute First Phase Chief Blanket, which was simply the style that the Navajo had been weaving for a hundred years.  The Hopi had a similar textile that they wove.

The Chief Blanket underwent several changes over the decades from 1800, among those was adding red bayeta yarn and, later, adding a total of nine triangular elements at the corners and mid part of the textile.  Those changes resulted in Second Phase and Third Phase designations.

The Chief Blanket has never gone out of production.  Changes were made in the early 20^th century, but the appearance did not change enough to prevent use of the term, Third Phase Blanket or Rug.

This textile, a Third Phase version, is too large for a wearing blanket.  It was made as a floor rug.  It dates to circa 1920s.  The use of orange in the textile helps set the date.  The Navajo Third Phase Chief Pattern Rug is probably the most widely collected of 20^th-century Navajo weavings today.  The pattern, the name, the inference, all contribute to its desirability by collectors, decorators and enthusiasts.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from a resident of Austin, Texas

Recommended Reading: The Navajo Weaving Tradition 1650 to the Present by Alice Kaufman and Christopher Selser