130 Cecil Malone Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850
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November is
National American Indian Heritage Month!
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Welcome to Our Monthly Newsletter
This month's topics are:
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
- Protect Our Children from COVID-19
NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH
MISCELLANEOUS
CONSIGNMENT RUGS FOR SALE REMINDER
NOVEMBER CLEANING SPECIAL
If there is a topic you would like us to cover in one of our upcoming newsletters, please call or text us at:
607-272-1566
or contact us
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REMINDER:
Don't forget to keep checking our website for our beautiful
We have a variety of rugs available to view on our website or come into our office!
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PROTECT OUR CHILDREN
from COVID-19
How can we protect our children, especially those under the age of 12, from COVID-19? We know that a vaccine is imminent for some of those children. However, the beginning of the school year has focused on the possibility of the spread of COVID-19 among school-aged children and the very real probability that they will bring the virus home and infect unvaccinated family members.
THE GOOD NEWS
The good news is that the situation with the COVID-19 virus is much better than it was a year ago. The vaccine rollout has made a tremendous difference in the number of daily infections and especially, the number of hospitalizations.
Of course, the vaccinations must be ongoing to continue to be effective and we are seeing now that booster shots are being recommended for longer protection.
It is very important to realize that without the high rate of vaccinations, the numbers of daily infections, hospitalizations, and deaths would be incrementally higher.
PROTECTION IN THE SCHOOLS?
The solution to protection in the schools is still an evolving issue. Mask-wearing, physical distancing, and ensuring proper ventilation in classrooms are currently believed to be the most important measures to take to control the spread of COVID-19 in the schools.
Incredible as it may seem, there is a privacy issue with some schools who believe it is the right of the parents to decide whether or not their children should wear masks.
These schools and many others are testing schoolchildren for COVID on a regular basis, either to skirt the mask-wearing question or as an extra layer of protection. Children who test positive must quarantine at home. Fortunately, more and more schools have instituted a mask mandate.
THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN FROM COVID-19?
Please continue reading here for the answer to that question and more information on how to protect our children from COVID-19, as well as what has been the main driver of the pandemic.
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In This Issue
Consignment Rugs for Sale Reminder-We have added more rugs!
Protect Our Children from COVID-19
Authentic Navajo Rug?
Navajo Rug ID
Arthur Ashe
NOVEMBER Cleaning Special
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AUTHENTIC NAVAJO RUG?
Is a rug an authentic Navajo rug? How to tell? An authentic Navajo rug is an individual piece of art. To own one is very special. But, buyer beware, copies of Navajo rugs abound!
Fortunately, there are several ways a savvy buyer can inspect a rug and with a good eye and patience be reasonably sure (or unsure) a handmade rug is really an authentic Navajo rug.
Please keep in mind, as with any hand-woven rug look for quality craftsmanship, though no rug should or would be 100% perfect (unless it is machine-made).
FIRST-A FEW DEFINITIONS...
WARP
Warp cords are the vertical cords which serve as the foundation of the rug and go from top to bottom. The preferred composition of the warp yarn is wool. Cotton warp cords would not be strong enough for the item to be used as a floor covering.
WEFT
Weft threads are the horizontal threads that cover the warp threads, or the yarn that is woven over and under the warp, and goes from side to side. These will likely be wool.
LAZY LINES
This is not a fair description but a 'lazy' line occurs when a weaver is weaving a wide fabric and does not want to reach from one side to the other with each weft. It is a subtle diagonal break in the weave to allow the weaver to work on one section and then move over to the next. Not every Navajo weaving contains lazy lines.
SPIRIT LINES
When the Navajo weaver works on a rug, she puts her soul, her energy, her spirit into it. Sometimes you will find a small thin line which extends from the center across the border to the outside edge. Sometimes it is a line placed near a corner and made of the same color as the background of the field.
When the weaving is completed, the belief is the energy and spirit woven into the rug must be released so the weaver will have the energy and spirit to continue weaving other rugs.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR HOW TO TELL IF A RUG IS AN AUTHENTIC NAVAJO RUG
LOOK
- Look carefully at the entire rug and check the overall design.
- There should be no wrinkles.
- The horizontal and vertical lines should be straight and uniform in width.
- The ends should be the same width.
- The tightness of the weave should be uniform throughout the rug.
- The colors should harmonize.
- Grey and brown hues in Navajo rugs are often 'streaky'. This is caused by slight variations in the wool color of the sheep. Rugs that are copies usually use commercial dyes which will look more uniform in color. The greys in the Mexican 'knock-offs' will be solid.
FEEL
- It should be smooth with no areas that are thicker or thinner.
FRINGE?
Please continue reading here to learn about the construction of Navajo rugs, the design, and more, complete with photos.
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NAVAJO RUG ID
Navajo rug ID begins with the ability to recognize some basic regional characteristics. It is important to remember, however, that every rug, like it's weaver, is an individual.
The process of weaving, to the Navajo, is a spiritual one. Each weaver puts her (or occasionally, his) soul and creative energy into the weaving of a rug. Though it may have a characteristic regional design, it will be the interpretation of the weaver that will make that rug its own enduring piece of art.
While basic knowledge of regional characteristics is useful in the study of Navajo rug ID, in the Navajo nation today a rug with a regional name such as Two Grey Hills may have actually been woven by a weaver from a completely different region.
To aid in Navajo rug ID, there are certain ones that can be identified by their distinctive colors, others by the bands of color and the designs within those bands, and certain others by their distinctive designs.
NAVAJO RUG ID #1
RUGS WITH DISTINCTIVE COLORS
These are the Ganado, Klagetoh, Two Grey Hills, and Burntwater rugs described below.
The Ganado and Klagetoh tend to have simpler designs than the similar Two Grey Hills, and Burntwater rugs.
GANADO (Ga-na-doh)
Ganado rugs always have a red background. The distinctive red color is often called a ‘Ganado Red.’ The design, based on a central diamond or two, will be in black, white, and grey in the center of the field.
Simple geometric embellishments can be found on the edges and serrated or stair-stepped diamonds, crosses, zigzags, and simple geometric shapes can be found in the corners outside the central design. There is usually a dark outside border. These rugs can be quite large.
The origin for the Ganado rug is the town of Gando, Arizona which is in the geographic center of the Navajo Reservation where the famous Hubbell Trading Post stands today.
KLAGATOH (Ka-leg-a-toe)
Klagetoh rugs are similar to Ganado rugs. The background, however, is grey. The center design is usually an elongated diamond with black, white, and red colors.
Natural wool colors are used, except the red and the black may have some commercial dye. With this rug, the grey can be brownish or even tan, depending upon the fleece of the sheep used.
The name of this rug is from a small area south of Ganado meaning ‘Hidden Springs.’
TWO GREY HILLS
These rugs are woven of natural, undyed, hand spun wool with designs of white, black, and brown. These weavers card together wool from different sheep to produce subtle shades of the white, black, and brown. It is possible to find several different shades of gray, brown, and tan in the same rug.
The wool for the Two Grey Hills rugs is often fine and may require more weaving time, making them more costly. They usually have a plain, dark border. They may also have a spirit line.
The design of the Two Grey Hills does not represent hills. It was named for a village in New Mexico.
BURNTWATER
The Burntwater rugs display a combination of earth tones and pastels. Colors such as brown, sienna, mustard, and rust are accented with pale colors such as rose, green, blue, white, and lilac.
The designs can use geometric spirals, head-to-head triangles, stepped diagonals, and multiple borders.
The Burntwater style is newer and is basically an expansion of the traditional Two Grey Hills designs by weavers in the Wide Ruins/Burntwater area south of Gando.
NAVAJO ID #2
BANDED RUGS
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ARTHUR ASHE
Arthur Ashe wasn’t just a world champion tennis player. In his short 49 years, he left an indelible mark on this world as a civil rights activist, a philanthropist, a humanitarian, and more.
His ability to motivate can still be felt today in the numerous programs and foundations he helped establish. These continue to encourage young people (especially those in the minority and the underprivileged) to learn life skills through education and tennis so they can pursue their own dreams just as he had done.
His story has been an inspiration for generations, but it has been more than a generation since his death. Now is a good time to look again at the life and legacy of Arthur Ashe, a story truly worth repeating.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born to Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie C. Ashe on July 10,1943 in Richmond, Virginia.
Arthur’s first introduction to tennis came at an early age when his father took a caretaker position at Brook Field in 1947, an 18-acre park that included tennis courts. The position came with a house located in the middle of the blacks-only playground. Early on Arthur was a straight A student in school and an avid reader and he showed an interest in the sport of tennis.
In 1950, when Arthur was almost 7, he had to endure the tragic death of his mother due to complications from surgery. In that same year, Arthur met one of the best black tennis players in the nation, Ronald Charity. Charity took an interest in Arthur and began working with him on a regular basis, teaching him proper form and strokes.
By the time he was 10 years old, it had become obvious that Arthur had a real talent for tennis but would need a proper coach to continue improving his game. Charity introduced Arthur to Dr. Walter Johnson who at the time was also coaching Althea Gibson, the only African-American who was competing in world tennis at that time. Dr. Johnson would become Arthur’s lifelong coach and mentor.
TEEN YEARS
In 1958, at the age of 15, Arthur became the first African-American to play in the Maryland boys’ championships, his first integrated tennis competition. Unfortunately, though Arthur could travel and participate in competitive tournaments around the country in the summer, during the school year he was limited to black opponents from Richmond on outdoor only tennis courts for blacks.
Just before beginning his senior year in high school, he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri to continue studying and playing tennis, where he encountered many strong tennis opponents. He had already won multiple junior tennis tournaments across the nation. Arthur was making a name for himself around the nation and he was featured in the December 12, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated as a Face in the Crowd.
Arthur graduated from high school first in his class and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) offered him a full scholarship to attend college there. UCLA had at that time one of the best college tennis programs.
During his college years, Arthur managed to maintain good grades while still pursuing the game of tennis. He was also active in the Upsilon chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity on campus, a predominantly black fraternity dating back to 1911.
While playing at UCLA, he found more recognition among tennis enthusiasts. In 1963, Ashe was named to the US Davis Cup team as its first African-American player. He continued to play on the team until 1970 and returned again to play in 1975, 1976, and 1978.
As a sophomore at UCLA, Arthur was featured again in Sports Illustrated’s
Faces in the Crowd as an up and coming athlete of some note.
In 1965, in addition to finishing his studies, Arthur had won the individual NCAA championship and had significantly contributed to UCLA’s winning the team NCAA tennis championship.
In 1966, Arthur graduated with a degree in business administration, the first member on his father’s side to graduate from college.
MILITARY YEARS
Arthur joined the US Army after graduation and served from 1966 to 1968, eventually reaching the rank of first lieutenant while stationed at West Point in New York. During his time in the army, he continued to play tennis, participating in the Davis Cup and other tournaments.
The year 1968 was a defining one for tennis. The sport had moved from the Amateur Era to the Open Era and tennis players were gaining huge prominence. It was also the year that Arthur created history when he became the first black male to win the first US Open tournament. He is the only player to have won both the amateur and open national championships in the same year. Unfortunately, there was in place a rule that Army regulars as well as players eligible for the Davis Cup had to maintain their amateur status and Ashe had to forfeit the prize money. (This rule was eventually changed.)
Ashe went on to win the Australian Open, the first non-Australian to win the tournament since 1959. It was still a time of disputes, even though the Open Era had begun. As a result, a ban had been imposed and Ashe was unable to play at the French Open or the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments.
THE NATIONAL JUNIOR TENNIS LEAGUE
Please continue reading here for the amazing life and legacy of Arthur Ashe, the many foundations and programs he helped establish for young people, his activism against Apartheid and his appointment as Goodwill Ambassador to Africa, his 3-volume book on The History of the African-American Athlete, his contribution to the fight against AIDS, his many awards during his life, as well as posthumously, and much more.
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GREAT NEWS!
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