At the risk of being an unpatriotic Arizonan, I say "three cheers for the Zapotec rug!" I know, in the southwest the word
rug is usually preceded by the word
Navajo. But we have one store on Whiskey Row (
Sun West Galleries, I believe) which has carried a line of these colorful imports from Mexico for many years.
Besides, lets face facts: I can
afford a Zapotec rug. Quite unlike the modern Navajo rug, which is sold these days at fine art prices. Mind you, I like the Navajo product. Even have one very antique, very threadbare rug that has been in the family since the early 1900s; my mother last had it on the floor in the 1960s before she and my father moved back to Arizona.
However, the subject of this post is really rug snobbery. Non-Navajo rugs may be seen as inferior products if 1) they are made by Indians from another tribe, 2) they include colors other than natural sheep colors plus red, 3) they are imported, which says they are therefore not made by Native Americans. Since when, I ask, were the Zapotec not native Americans???
Furthermore, if it is a question of authenticity, what about those non-Hopi kachinas I see in all the Whiskey Row shops. Guess which res they come from...
End of rant. How can I rant when faced with these pretty little birds and fish?
Besides, lets face facts: I can afford a Zapotec rug. Quite unlike the modern Navajo rug, which is sold these days at fine art prices. Mind you, I like the Navajo product. Even have one very antique, very threadbare rug that has been in the family since the early 1900s; my mother last had it on the floor in the 1960s before she and my father moved back to Arizona.
However, the subject of this post is really rug snobbery. Non-Navajo rugs may be seen as inferior products if 1) they are made by Indians from another tribe, 2) they include colors other than natural sheep colors plus red, 3) they are imported, which says they are therefore not made by Native Americans. Since when, I ask, were the Zapotec not native Americans???
Furthermore, if it is a question of authenticity, what about those non-Hopi kachinas I see in all the Whiskey Row shops. Guess which res they come from...
End of rant. How can I rant when faced with these pretty little birds and fish?
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9 comments:
Many handsome rugs there. The one with birds and fish reminds me of a small rug/carpet spouse purchased in Turkey--squarish camels bordering and in the middle of a beige/tan background.
Hermano
I agree with Antipodean. Some mighty nice looking rugs.
Affordable and beautifully crafted always wins in my book.
bro -- I like your description of that Turkish rug!
steve -- I like all that color!
karen -- well put. Several steps beyond simple snob appeal.
I have one that must be Zapotec that keeps my legs warm . . . and Jazz happy lying atop.
Such beautiful colours and patterns, why be snobbish about them. The only one I was less keen on was the green toned one, I like the warm reddish tones, a touch of the desert!
What do you do with these rugs? Surely you wouldn't wipe your feet on them. Are they meant to be hung on walls?
cat-A -- there's one answer to Boonie's question below.
lucy -- I tend to agree with you about the desert colors, but then there's the rug with birds & fish...
boonie -- 1) see comment from Cat-A, above; 2) if one buys a Navajo rug, it hangs on the wall, whereas a Zapotec might serve as a throw on one's sofa or a chair or on the floor infront of the fireplace. No foot wiping, please!
OK, Ross -- I'll let your commercial ride if only because there are some interesting rugs there...
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