Book Review: How to Weave a Navajo Rug And Other Lessons from Spider Woman

By Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas

Reviewed by Deborah Corsini

Navajo weaving is a precise, complicated and disciplined art. Instilled in the weaving process is a tradition of hundreds of years of cultural legacy and a unique aesthetic that radiates beauty grounded in both rich color sensibility and dramatic geometric symmetry.

Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas are sisters, fifth-generation Diné weavers and experienced teachers to both native and non-native students. How to Weave a Navajo Rug and Other Lessons from Spider Woman is the first book of its kind written by respected, award-winning Native American weavers, a perspective that is long overdue in the canons of how-to books. This book weaves together the stories of Spider Woman, the first teacher of the Diné, and the implicit connection of weaving to life, unity, and harmony. Included are the origin stories learned from their grandparents and passed down through generations. They reveal how weaving provides the link to spiritual and physical survival. Their mission in writing this book is to ensure the future of this art form and an appreciation of Diné culture.

The book is organized into chapters covering the entire process of creating a Navajo style textile. The basics start with the sheep and its gift of wool and the time-consuming preparation of cleaning, carding, spinning and overspinning the wool for weaving. But these pre-weaving processes are not the focus of the book. The precise directions begin as the following chapters explain how to build a Navajo style loom (of the type they use in their classes) and the tools and materials needed. Clear photographs and labeled illustrations clarify the written directions. The male (shed rod) and female (heddle rod) parts of the loom and process are identified. A step-by-step guide demystifies the warping process and the importance of the addition of selvedge cords. These cords are used to add strength to the sides and a final unifying completion of the four selvedges, tied together to form tassels, a unique signature for Navajo textiles.

With experience and humor, the Teller sisters carefully lead you through the first project, a simple geometric tapestry that builds with complexity as more design elements are added. Line-by-line instructions illustrated with ample photos and drawings give detailed views. Weavers with some experience should easily be able to follow along. Some absolute beginners may be challenged with the process. It was not clear that the interlock takes place between the warps – a weft interlock – until I reread the directions more closely. This term should have been added to the glossary.

This spiral-bound book is designed to lay flat to easily turn pages to reference images and sequences. Reading and following the lessons feel like having two guides at your side, offering tips and trouble shooting. Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas are gracious in sharing their approach to Navajo weaving while acknowledging that there are other teachers, styles, and approaches. They cover every technical detail of the process, from starting and ending with the two by twos (that is, weaving over and under pairs of warp ends on both ends of the piece before moving on to single warps) to explaining how to add weft yarns, to discussing the final patience required of needle weaving at the end of the piece. They are not only offering these techniques to create your own Navajo style weaving but also encouraging you to find your own creative muse.

A final section deals with the important topic of appropriation. They speak to the unfortunate situation, over many years, of Navajo design traditions used commercially without permission or being stolen. They emphasize teaching Navajo style techniques for “learning exploration.” Non-Navajo students should label their work “in the style of Navajo weaving.”

This small book contains an abundance of information on the foundations of Navajo weaving. But equally important, Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas share the interconnections of weaving with the spirit and philosophy of balance in the Navajo universe and with the beauty of creating something by hand. In lieu of a class with these teachers, or in addition to, I highly recommend this book as a guide.

Deborah Corsini has pursued a lifelong interest in weaving and textiles. Known for her dynamic wedge weave tapestries, her work is exhibited in national and international venues and her tapestries are in U.S. Embassies and in corporate and private collections. Active in the fiber community, she teaches workshops in wedge weave and maintains a studio practice in Pacifica, CA.