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

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

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

If you have finally decided on a Native American style blanket, here is some information to assist you to discover more about them:

Indian blankets were valuable trade commodities. A blanket with 3 beavers shown on it, for example, meant the blanket valued at three beaver pelts. The Hudson Bay Company, founded in Canada in the late 1600s, traded North American Indian blankets to Europeans. The creation of frontier trading posts by white settlers in the 1800s permitted tribes to exchange their items to European Americans for other products.

Historically, 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 reasons.

Although an income for Native Americans, blankets kept a much deeper meaning. For numerous people blankets were a symbol of wealth and status.

Every Native American blanket one may stumble upon has its own unique story, and that story is generally envisioned by the creator, who decide themselves what signs and designs to put into each blanket, or mantas, as they are generally called.

In the 1500s the Navajo tribe of the Southwest learned 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 of the Tlingit people of Alaska, a fringe blanket of cedar bark fiber and goat wool needed 6 months to complete.

It does not take long to discover the appeal 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 might know by just admiring the various patterns.

The symbology regarding the many Indigenous Peoples

The sign of the Bear

As a normally spiritual group of individuals, Native Americans utilize numerous animals in their signs, and among the most typical ones are bears. Bears are believed to be the protectors of the animal kingdom and are for that reason treated with respect. It is likewise revered as a symbol of guts, strength, and leadership. Bears are extremely related to by a lot of tribes and some of them even call their best warriors bears for having the highest capability of protecting their tribe from any kind of damage. Others even believe that they can draw power from the strength of a bear just by dreaming about one, consuming it, or by merely touching the animal.

The symbol regarding the Cross

Native American people utilize the sign of the cross and its ranges to represent the origin of the world, with its four bars representing the primary directions: north, south, east, and west. This sign then signifies life or the nourishment of life which works as a suggestion of keeping the balance of nature and its four components.

The symbology of the Coyote

For Native American, the Coyote is stated to be the trickster spirit. The significance of the coyote symbol appears in its broad use particularly for southwestern Native American people like the Zuni and Navajo. While the Coyote is considered as an effective and sacred animal it is typically portrayed as a mischievous being, which is why it's related to selfishness, greed, and deceit.

The symbology of the Kokopelli

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

The symbol regarding the Morning Star

The morning star features a small circle encircled by several jagged. Native Americans regard the morning star as a symbol of hope and guidance because it is always the brightest light in the sky during dawn. Some tribes even honor the morning star as a symbol of spiritual pureness and courage while others associate it with the rebirth of fallen heroes.

The sign regarding the Sun Face

The Sun Face sign represents among the most important deities of the Zuni tribe which is the Sun Father. Since their primary source of livelihood is agricultural farming, this specific tribe developed a symbol that would represent the abundance, stability, hope, energy, and happiness that the sun grants them particularly during harvest season. That's why the sun face looks similar to the morning star however has a larger inner circle with a geometrically shaped face to represent the face of the sun.