Southwest Rugs
History of rugs development on the American continent is mysterious and differs from all the other regions. Everywhere in the world rugs have been developing by themselves from animal skins with a progress of wool weaving craft. It is not so with southwest rugs. They were a sort of blankets and not rugs actually.
Such southwest rugs blankets have been known for a long period of time (it is believed the these southwest rugs history started somewhere in 18th century). Different types of blankets can be singled out of these southwest rugs. They are Serape blankets, Chief blankets and Eye Dazzlers.
These southwest rugs were woven in a simple flat knot technique. And the main purpose of southwest rugs blankets was to protect people from cold weather - they were used as a sort of clothes. Being not much wide but really long southwest rugs blankets were wrapped around the body.
And the design of these southwest rugs has its specific character.
The common ornament used on southwest rugs is zigzag or a combination of lines and simple geometric forms. The huge variety of different colors was used to picture these ornaments.
Nowadays these southwest rugs are nothing more then just souvenirs -they have lost their original intended usage. They are being made now in Indian reservation (mostly in northern Arizona) to be sold to tourists. And all the motifs that are now being pictured are oriented to satisfy the need of traders.