When you are looking to purchase a Native American or Native style blanket, typically you consider quality and cost to get the best value for you and your household.

You might also think about blanket designs like Aztec, Bohemian, Tribal or retro prints. Likewise consider the type of material you will be satisfied with. With options in wool, polyester fleece, cotton, acrylic, to list a few.

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

If you have ulitmately selected a Native American style blanket, may we offer some information to assist you to learn more about them:

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

Traditionally, Native Americans wove blankets from animal hides, fur, and plant fibers. Later, they utilized wool and cotton also. Hundreds of years before European settlement in North America, the native tribes utilized blankets for trade purposes.

While an income for Native Americans, blankets retained a much deeper significance. For many tribes blankets were a symbol of wealth and status.

Every single Native American blanket one may stumble upon has its own unique story, and that story is typically decided upon by the weaver, who choose themselves what signs and designs to put into each blanket, or mantas, as they are typically called.

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

It does not take long to observe the beauty embedded into the pattern of Native American blankets. Yet, understanding where Navajo blanket patterns originated and how the weaver decided upon what to include in the blanket isn't something one might understand by simply admiring the different patterns.

The symbols recognized by the many Native American Tribes

The symbol of the Arrow

The arrow is among the most essential signs for the Native Americans considering that of its importance in hunting and gathering. The arrow acts as among their most valued belongings due to the fact that enabled them to look for food from a safe range and safeguard their people from predators and other opponents. A single arrow implies defense, but it can also suggest instructions, movement, force, and power.

The symbol regarding the Cross

Native American people use the sign of the cross and its varieties to represent the origin of the world, with its four bars representing the primary instructions: north, south, east, and west. This symbol then signifies life or the sustenance of life which serves as a tip of keeping the balance of nature and its 4 components.

The sign regarding the Coyote

For Native American, the Coyote is said to be the trickster spirit. The significance of the coyote sign appears in its large usage particularly for southwestern Native American tribes like the Zuni and Navajo. While the Coyote is considered as a powerful and sacred animal it is often portrayed as a mischievous being, which is why it's associated with selfishness, greed, and deceit.

The symbol of the Heartline

The heartline symbol prevails amongst Native American jewelry particularly in use in pendants. The sign of the heartline represented the vital force of animals. The symbol includes a bear-like creature with an arrow running from its mouth and spiraling to its heart. Some heartlines do not exclusively utilize bears however it's the most common kind. Aside from using heartlines as pendants, many Native American warriors likewise select to have these tattooed onto their skin as a pointer of how their heart is as strong as a bear's.

The sign regarding the Eye of the Medicine Man/ Shaman Eye

The shaman eye or the eye of the Medicine Man can be explained in 3 parts. First, the external rhombus is thought to be the physical world or the world of the regular man. The inner rhombus on the other hand represents the spiritual world only visible to the Shamans. The center dot represents the eye of the Shaman itself which generally means that those with the eye of a Medicine Man can clearly gaze not simply at the real world but at the spiritual world, too. This is the reason Native American shamans can carry out spiritual acts like healing and routines.

The sign of the Thunderbird

The thunderbird is the most essential mythical bird for the Native American people. This majestic bird takes its name from the belief that it is strong enough to make thunderous sounds whenever it flaps its wings. The Native Americans likewise believed that thunderbirds might shoot lightning from their eyes. The thunderbird can be an omen of war and the sign of glory and power.