The Navajo are the second largest Native American tribe in the North American Continent, they are found in the Southwestern region of the United States of America. The Navajo were mainly hunters and gatherers who learnt and adapted the agriculture and the farming techniques from the Spanish and Pueblos. They started growing beans, corn etc and they also started rearing goats and sheep on which they were traded with the Spanish. The Navajo started shearing the wool and using it to spin threads and weave blankets and other clothing for personal use as well as for trading. These Blankets and Rugs woven by the Navajo are most sought after trade commodities, the Navajo clothing and textiles are very highly regarded. These blankets and rugs have been in great demand from more than 150 years and the Navajo started producing these hand woven blankets and other clothing in a commercial scale. These rugs and blankets play a very important part in the economy of the Navajo. The Navajo workmanship is regarded among the finest handmade textile in the world.
The Navajo blankets are utilitarian blankets that can be used as cloaks, saddle blankets, shawl, dress etc and as its demand increased the Navajo workmen began making the blankets and rugs for exporting and tourism purposes. The Navajo textiles are flat tapestry woven fabrics which have strong geometrical patterns over them. Even now the Navajo people continue to weave the blankets and rugs for commercial purposes, but unlike in the olden times, the majority of Navajo weavers nowadays learn the skills and craft from the community college rather than the family. For some of the Navajo families, this is the only source of income. The contemporary Navajo textiles are suffering due to the price competition by the imitation materials from the foreign countries which are far less priced than the original. The modern Navajo rugs are priced high and still the most sought after commodities.