The suite consists of sculptures that reflect the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
Each represents a stage in the creation of a wool weaving...from the raising of the sheep to the blanket's use. Interwoven is the life of a Navajo woman, going from child, mother, grandmother, and finally, elder.
I will call her Nizhoni.
In this first sculpture Nizhoni learns to care for and nurture the sheep and their lambs. From this responsibility comes an understanding of the rhythms of nature.
Even today Navajo children raised in the cities are often returned to the reservation to live with and learn from the grandparents for a period of time. Having the experience of their traditional old ways that are the backbone of their culture can give them a strong foundation for life.
Tending sheep is a valuable chore to the family that is part of this education. This is the beginning of the young girl's life, as it is the necessary beginning stage of the creation of the wool for weaving.
Part of the process of turning wool into weavable yarn is drawing out the "carded" wool after shearing the sheep into thinner, finer thread. It requires pulling the wool thru fingers with a twirling motion as it is wound onto a spindle.
Nizhoni has become a young mother who teaches her own daughters by example as her mother showed her and her mother did her, going back generations.
Before weaving into intricate patterns, the yarn may be dyed with natural pigments. These patterns are developed from a sense of aesthetic influenced by the dramatic beauty of the surrounding desert environment.
The symbols used also reflect their beliefs & myths. Often the design may tell a story of either the tribe or family history that also incorporates their cultural values. So, not only does this mother pass along the skill of creating yarn and weaving fabric, but also she teaches the symbology of their culture.
A mature woman and weaving artist at this stage of her life, Nizhoni travels to market with the weavings of her family.
She is a mother with her own grown daughter now, and she proudly carries the precious cargo of three generations: her mother's, her daughter's and her own....blankets woven from their own hands with skill, care, and love.
Nizhoni has become a woman of seasoned maturity and presents her finished creation with great satisfaction. A grandmother now, her many decades of weaving and living bring together her practiced skill with a depth of understanding that can only come over time.
She holds the finished blanket proudly. It represents many years of honing her skill as a weaver and as an artist. The weaving is her artistic medium thru which she interprets her culture and world.
She has accomplished a point in her life when all elements that make up who she is and what she knows of life come together in this woven creation.
It will not go to market, but will remain in her family as a testament to her life. . . .an heirloom for her following generations.
Nizhoni and her husband have reached elder status, and together they walk through the golden years of their full lives. He wraps the beloved blanket over her...the weaving she finished with such pride so many years ago.
In their faces are the lines that tell the story of lives well lived. Despite hardships, their lives are a tapestry of love and laughter, and they now face their last years with peace and contentment. The weaving warms them, shelters them, and connects them...a work of art from her heart and hands; an integral part of who they are and the life they've shared.
"We are strands on a weaving, woven by the sun, threaded by the moon, designed by the dreams of the stars."
--Anonymous
