Navajo Weaving

"A Navajo rug may be a commodity for trade.
It also may be the voice of the weaver’s prayers and dreams"

I found some wonderful videos on UTube about Spider Woman's art, for those who may be interested:

Navajo Weaving

Also, a film I've unfortunately just became aware of, after having missed it at the Tucson Film Festival in April. Here's a review kindly forwarded to me, taken from the FilmFestival site.

Weaving Worlds

From: tricksterfilms

Weaving Worlds, Bennie Klain, USA, 2008 (57 min.)

A Navajo rug may be a commodity for trade. It also may be the voice of the weaver’s prayers and dreams and a way of life more than a thousand years old. Such is the difference between the perspectives of Navajo weavers in northern Arizona and New Mexico and the White traders and buyers with whom they do business.

The film presents a compelling and intimate portrayal of economic and cultural survival through the art of weaving in a global marketplace. The result is a poignant digital portrait of Navajo artisans and their unique, often controversial relationships with White Reservation traders.

Intimate documentary photography shows weavers at home with their families, engaged in the various labors involved in producing a rug, as well as at the auctions where they watch their rugs being sold. Contemporary weavers of several generations recall their introduction to weaving and selling rugs, and archival footage and stills illustrate their recollections.

Bennie Klain is a director of documentaries and short fictions, and the founder of TricksterFilms, based in Austin, Texas. A fluent Navajo speaker, Klain often incorporates the language into his work. Weaving Worlds premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and was screened on national television by PBS. Weaving Worlds is a co-production of TricksterFilms, LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT), with major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Credits

Producer: Leighton C. Peterson
Writer: Bennie Klain
Cinematographer: Nancy Schiesari
Editor: Jayson Oaks
Sound Design: Paul James Zahnley
Music Score: Aaron White
Cast Members: Edith Simonson, Nicole Horseherder, Lorraine Herder, Helen Bedonie, Gilbert Begay, Zonnie Gilmore, Elijah Blair, Perry Null

Previous Festivals/Awards: South by Southwest Film Festival, Native American Film + Video Festival, American Indian Film Festival, ImagineNative Film Festival