Area Rugs – Native American, Southwestern, and Navajo Styles

If you need something that will make your home look colorful and attractive, an area rug from the indigenous and Native American tribes is what you need. These area rugs are from Native Americans in the southwestern United States. These are rugs made by Navajo Indian women with the background dating over three hundred years back. Rug weaving became part of their culture and had been passed down from one generation to another today. For the Navajo people, it’s a thing of pride and prestige to make these rugs. Traditionally the Navajo women believed they learned the art of weaving the rugs from the spider woman who taught the art to them and it became part of their cultural way of life and existence.

Why are Southwestern or Native American rugs special?

Southwestern Native American rugs are unique for so many reasons. They are specially hand-woven or handcrafted rugs from original traditionally died wools. They are made with unusual or exotic patterns with dark colors though some may come with bright colors. They come with shape designs such as crosses (spider woman shape), triangles, rectangles, diamond, squares, oval, and other patterns or shapes. The characteristic colors are red, brown, blue, grey, black, orange, green,
white, and multi colors. Patterns also like animal, forests, birds, and flowers usually are engraved on the rugs. All these make the carpet unique and appealing. The vibrant designs are very remarkable. You can use them to decorate areas in your home that you find special or important. The rugs are made of beautiful fabrics with traditional color and die; the materials are very durable and soft. Because they come in different colors and pattern, you have the choice of getting what will be most suitable for you. The Navajo styles are lovely and come in authentic traditional colors.

Identifying Between Original and Fake Native American or Navajo Rugs

Due to the high demand for the rugs caused by tourism and need for the rugs, many traders even among the Navajo sellers resort to the sale of fake imitation of the original that are commercially mass-produced and brought into the country. As it were, it is not usually easy to differentiate the unique Navajo hand-woven rugs from the imitation products. But, with care, you can be able to identify or distinguish between the two-original and fake. Some of the things to look out for to help you know false or original include the following:

For the original Navajo rugs lookout for continuous warp thread (these are threads that run the entire length of the rug) while the thread for the fake brake off at the ends and tucked inside the weave.

Look out for the side cords; the original Navajo have side cords at the edges on both sides. The side cords have two or like three cords alternating by the edge. This cannot be easily faked as the fake comes with some bundle of cords by the side edges.

Other things to look out for a while detecting fakes are the finishing of the ends, the type of material used, and the borders of the rug. The authentic rugs will have shorter finishing at the end compared to the imitation product.

The area or local rugs are exquisite. They will give your home characteristic traditional or native look. You can order from any good dealer in your locality or online if you need one.