Spider Woman's Children: Navajo Weavers Today

Navajo rugs set the gold standard for handwoven textiles in the U.S. But what about the people who create these treasures? Spider Woman's Children is the inside story, told by two women who are both deeply embedded in their own culture and considered among the very most skillful and artistic of Navajo weavers today. Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete are fifth-generation weavers who grew up at the fabled Two Grey Hills trading post. Their family and clan connections give them rare insight, as this volume takes readers into traditional hogans, remote trading posts, reservation housing neighborhoods, and urban apartments to meet weavers who follow the paths of their ancestors, who innovate with new designs and techniques, and who uphold time-honored standards of excellence. Throughout the text are beautifully depicted examples of the finest, most mindful weaving this rich tradition has to offer. AUTHORS: Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete are fifth generation, and widely acclaimed, Navajo weavers and sisters. Together they teach Navajo weaving workshops at museums, galleries, and guilds. Barbara is internationally renowned for her fine tapestry weaving. She has been artist in Residence at the Heard Museum and the British Museum in London and has served as an ambassador for Navajo weaving, culture, and tradition in arts exchange programs in Peru, England, Uzbekistan, and beyond. Lynda won her first prize in weaving at age 12, and continued weaving while she received her degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. She has been a weaver full-time since 2010. 124 colour and 1 b/w illustration, 1 map