If you are wanting to purchase a Native American or Native design blanket, always think about quality and price to get the very best value for you and your family.

You might likewise think about blanket styles like Aztec, Bohemian, Tribal or retro prints. Also take into account the type of material you will be happy with. With choices in wool, polyester fleece, cotton, acrylic, to name some.

In addition, what size will best fit your requirements? A throw size? Or possibly a bed size like Twin, Full Queen or King Size?

If you have finally picked a Native American style blanket, here is some information to help you to find out more about them:

Indian blankets were precious trade products. A blanket with three beavers pictured on it, for example, implied the blanket was worth 3 beaver pelts. The Hudson Bay Company, established in Canada in the late 1600s, traded North American Indian blankets to Europeans. The creation of frontier trading posts by white inhabitants in the 1800s permitted people to exchange their items to European Americans for other items.

Traditionally, Native Americans wove blankets from animal hides, fur, and plant fibers. Eventually, they utilized wool and cotton also. Centuries prior to European settlement in North America, the indigenous people used blankets for trade purposes.

While a source of income for Native Americans, blankets retained a much deeper meaning. For lots of tribes blankets were a symbol of wealth and status.

Every Native American blanket you come across has its own unique story, which story is typically envisioned by the weaver, who choose themselves what symbols and designs to infuse into each blanket, or mantas, as they are typically called.

In the 1500s the Navajo people of the Southwest found out blanket weaving from the Pueblos, who made blankets from the wool of Spanish sheep. Navajo blankets became understood for their intense colors, geometric patterns, and representation of animals. Made according to the custom of the Tlingit people of Alaska, a fringe blanket of cedar bark fiber and goat wool needed 6 months to complete.

It doesn't take long to see the beauty embedded into the pattern of Native American blankets. Yet, understanding where Navajo blanket patterns originated and how the weaver chose what to include in the blanket isn't something one could know by just admiring the different patterns.

The symbology recognized by the different Native American Tribes

The symbol regarding the Bear

As a typically spiritual group of people, Native Americans use lots of animals in their signs, and among the most common ones are bears. Bears are believed to be the protectors of the animal kingdom and are therefore treated with respect. It is also revered as a symbol of courage, strength, and leadership. Bears are highly concerned by a lot of people and a few of them even call their best warriors bears for having the greatest ability of securing their tribe from any form of damage. Others even think that they can draw power from the strength of a bear just by dreaming about one, eating it, or by merely touching the animal.

The sign regarding the Borthers Symbol

The Sign of the brothers depicts 2 figures that are linked at the feet. This signifies having a similar journey or sharing the exact same life course. It likewise highlights equality, connection and commitment between individuals.

The sign regarding the Eagle and Eagle Feathers

Eagles were valuable animals to the Native American individuals. Eagle plumes were used for their clothes and headwear. Their bones were turned into musical instruments utilized for rituals and events. Apart from their practical use, eagles were also believed to have some sort of a special connection to the spirit world through visions. Eagle feathers were also used in essential rituals that enabled their wise men to figure out the reality. Hence, eagles symbolized courage, sincerity, knowledge, and fact.

The sign of the Kokopelli

Kokopelli is the name of a Native American deity connected to fertility. It is often illustrated as a hunched, dancing man playing a flute, and typically features a large phallus. The Kokopelli is a sign of human and plant fertility however it is also linked to mischief like the coyote because of its whimsical nature.

The symbology regarding the Man in the maze

Actually there are many significances behind the sign of the man in the maze. It varies from tribe to tribe. But normally, the sign represents a man's life, with numerous twists and turns. The Man in the Labyrinth features a man who looks like he's will go into an elaborate labyrinth. The man represents an individual or a people who is about to start his journey in life while the maze itself represents the difficulties he meets along the way. The center of the labyrinth, or its last corner represents death and the cycle of human life duplicating itself.

The symbology of the Sun Face

The Sun Face symbol represents among the most essential deities of the Zuni tribe which is the Sun Father. Due to the fact that their primary source of livelihood is agricultural farming, this particular people produced a symbol that would represent the abundance, stability, hope, energy, and happiness that the sun grants them particularly throughout harvest season. That's why the sun face looks much like the morning star but has a bigger inner circle with a geometrically shaped face to represent the face of the sun.