Woolexpand_more
Gift of Peter and Sally Herfurthexpand_more 2020.38
A Navajo woman made this serape around 1865 during the Late Classic period (1860-1875), when Navajo artists wove some of the most spectacular textiles in their history. The pattern of this textile is emblematic of hozho, a fundamental philosophical concept for the Navajo that emphasizes the connection between beauty, symmetry, balance, order, and grace. This textile contains a “Spider Woman opening,” a visible and intentional thin vertical white slit at the center of the weaving, thought to be a way to pay tribute to Spider Woman, who brought weaving to Navajo people and who helped spin the world into existence.
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