Chief's Blankets: Phase One; Phase Two; Phase Three
Barbara Teller Ornelas, Diné / American, born 1954
Diné (Navajo)
Southwest
2010
Vegetable dyed wool
23/25
Overall: 10 × 9 1/2 in. (25.4 × 24.1 cm)
Frame: 18 1/2 × 44 3/4 in. (47 × 113.7 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Alvin and Mary Bert Gutman '40 Acquisitions Fund and the Hood Museum of Art Acquisitions Fund
© Barbara Teller Ornelas
2010.71
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
21st century
Object Name
Textile
Research Area
Native American
Native American: Southwest
On view
Label
These three rugs represent the evolution of the traditional chief’s blanket design, which began as a simple group of broad bands in 1800 or so. In 1850, the design began to incorporate small rectangles with crosses. In 1860, the design added diamond shapes and triangles while retaining the bands and crosses. These blankets, often traded among Plains Indians, got their name from their high-quality material and the wealth status they gave to their owners.
Ornelas recreated these design phases in small rugs to honor the many weavers before her who remain unrecognized. Each rug holds knowledge of its weaver and the weavers who came before, a legacy that, in Diné tradition, is also reflected in the songs or prayers that accompany the weaving process.
From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 122, Weaving Ké, curated by Nizhonie Denetsosie-Gomez '25, Conroy Intern
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 122, Weaving Ké, Nizhonie Denetsosie-Gomez '25, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 25 - March 30, 2025.
Native American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 8, 2011-March 12, 2012.
Publication History
George P. Horse Capture, Sr., Joe D. Horse Capture, Joseph M. Sanchez, et al., Native American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2011, ill. on p. 25 and 102 and p. 156, no. 81.
Provenance
The artist, Tucson, Arizona; sold to present collection, 2010.
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