Navajo Native Dyes: Their Preparation and Use.

Palmer Lake, Colorado:: Filter Press, 1978.. Reprint Edition.. Paperbound . BINDING/CONDITION: paperbound; center-stapled format; a small tear on the front cover, Good condition.. 8vo (8.25 inches tall) . Description: Illustrated with black and white drawings. This was originally published in 1940 by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1934, the Home Economics Department at Wingate Vocational High School in New Mexico undertook to revive interest in native dyed rugs by discovering how these dyes were obtained. The1940 bulletin was a record of that research and experimentation. Employed by the department was a Navajo woman, Mrs. Nanabah G Bryan, who was familiar with the reservation, having spent most of her life on it. She was employed to teach Navajo weaving. Much of her effort was spent perfecting native dyes. She used in the process only those materials procurable from the reservation. Her foundation recipes were largely those of her ancestors. At the beginning of the study only standard plants were used, but as the work progressed, a wide variety was utilized in the hope that Indians from all parts of the reservation could find satisfactory products close enough to their homes to make this method of dyeing practicable. Many new shades and tints have been developed through the experimentation. A preliminary section covers preparing wool; mixed natural wool colors; whitening wool; mordants; and dyeing of yarns. The rest of the book (pages 21 to end) is devoted to details about specific plants.