an to use the shears of the white man; previously they
procured the wool by cutting it off the body of the animal with a knife,
and pulling it from the legs.

The native dyes are red, yellow, and black, and the natural colors of
the wool are black, gray, and white. The dyes of the white man are now
much used. Formerly there was a beautiful blue, which has given way to
the indigo. A scarlet cloth called Bayeta was once much used in the
weaving of these rugs, but Germantown yarn and other inventions of the
white man have largely superseded the old-time materials and methods.

The spindle is of the crudest form, and sometimes the wool is simply
picked out from the mass, and rolled into the yarn or thread on the
hand.

The looms are fashioned after the most primitive ones of the Orient,
and the weaver sits on the ground and weaves upward. Women do most of
the weaving, but occasionally a dusky-faced man may be seen at the loom.
It takes about a month to weave a rug six feet ten inches by five feet
seven inches.

The designs in the Navajo rugs are many, and mostly in angles and
straight lines, the serrated diamond design being common, as is the
swastika or fylfot. The weaver makes up her own designs as she goes
along, occasionally only tracing it in the sand.

There is a symbolism attached to many forms in these rugs. The square
with four knit corners represents the four quarters of heaven and the
four winds. A tau cross is a symbol of protection and safety, and a
prayer to the Great Spirit. A spiral form represents the purified soul,
and a double spiral is a symbol of the soul's struggle. A wave mark
represents the sea, over which the people came from a far country. Black
is the symbol of water, regarded as the mother or spirit. Red is the
symbol of fire, and is regarded as the father.

The native costume of the women of the Navajo tribe consists of two
small rugs in dark blue or black, with a bright stripe at each end. They
are of the same size, and sewed together at the sides, except where a
place is left open for the arms. Formerly the Indians reserved their
hand-made rugs for their own use, but now that there is so great a
demand for the work of their hands, they sell those rugs, and content
themselves with blankets of factory make.

Old Navajo rugs, like Oriental ones, are growing scarcer every year, and
naturally are becoming more valuable and desirable. The fine textures,
perfect workmanship, and glowing color