Pueblo Wearing Blankets

Hopi Maiden Shawl

The term "maiden shawl "is applied to white shawls with red and blue, solid blue or solid black wool edge stripes. The white center section often have a diagonal weave. While generally worn by young unmarried women their use is not restricted to such. There is considerable variation in size, the average of being 36 x 43 inches. The lengths range from 37 to 48 and the widths from 30 to 37. The most common type has two stripes several inches wide along each edge, the outer being blue and the inner red. The blue edged type is very much less common; and that with a black edge is only known from a few examples. These colored stripes are created by substituting colored wool wefts for the white cotton ones used in the rest of the shawl. The blue edges are often made in a diamond weave and the red stripes in a diagonal weave. Both are woven so that most of the colored yarn appears on one face. Hence there are definite right and wrong sides to these shawls. These are worn draped over the shoulders or over one shoulder and under the opposite arm, the colored stripes being horizontal.

or earlier. The body of the manta is cotton hand spun warp and a diagonal

The top and bottom bands are brocaded with wool handspun natural brown in a diamond, uneven twill. The fine red bands are raveled bayeta dyed with a mixture of lac and cochineal and woven into the blanket as an uneven diagonal twill. Affixed with two paper labels inscribed: Old Hopi cotton. Very rare / Rec. 1/6/27 and: A.D. 138 75.00. Source: James Compton Gallery.

Pueblo Shirts

These shirts follow a common pattern with a long oblong section with a central hole for the neck, the ends hanging over the back and chest; and two sleeve sections made separately and sewn to the shoulders of the body section. The edges of the body and sleeve pieces are not sewn, being held together with ties placed at intervals. The shoulders, ends of the body section and cuffs of the sleeves of some are covered with heavy embroidery, and small embroidered units are placed regularly over the back and chest. Because of their ceremonial use such decorated examples are not presented here.

Exhibit 15: Pueblo Man’s Shirt 60” x 25” c.1800-1850. Finely woven with handspun white yarn dyed with indigo in a diagonal twill. The body of the shirt is woven like a tunic and opens up as a single piece (51” x 21”). There are hills and valleys at each end. The tunic has an opening for the head in the center (8.5” x 3”) with a rolled edge. The sleeves are woven as a single, trapezoidal piece (19” x 16”) and are folded over to form the sleeve and match the tunic in the fineness of the diagonal twill. Each sleeve has hills and valleys at each end to match the tunic. The shoulder end of the sleeve has 5 hills, and the cuff end has 3 hills. Source: