“Every thread tells a story”
In the Navajo creation stories Spider Woman taught the Navajo women to weave. The spider is a remarkable figure of feminine energy and creativity. The Holy Ones advised Spider Woman that she had the capabilities of weaving a map of the universe and all the spirit beings into the night sky. Spider Woman was the first to weave her web of the universe and then she taught the Din’eh (Navajo) to create beauty in all things by teaching the balance of mind, body, and soul.
For the Navajo, weaving is a meditation work and a transformation of the gifts Mother Nature offers to us to give life, live off the land, and to prosper as a people. Stories tell that the first loom was made from sky and earth cords. And that the weave itself was made with sunshine, lightening, crystals, and white shells.
Navajo are a matriarchal society where women own the sheep and are the ones to weave the wool and pass on the stories and prayers to the young weavers. The Navajo men are instructed by Spider Man to create the weaving loom and the tools that are needed. Each have learned the songs and prayers that are empowering to the textiles and the tools. Some weaving stories tell of the traditional Navajo relationship with Mother Earth. Others tell of a woman’s transformation from child to adult.
In the upcoming weeks we will following the weaving process from pasture or field, to spindle, to dyeing, and finally to loom. “You must leave a “mistake” in the weaving, because only the creator is perfect.”
