Gochman Family Collection

The textile is a hybrid of plain weave and the rare wedge weave technique. Navajos wove wedge weave textiles for about three decades circa 1860-1890 then, the technique abruptly fell out of fashion. Traders may have contributed to the decline of wedge weaves by promoting plain weave techniques that create flatter, more uniform sided textiles for the consumption of off-reservation markets. In recent decades the wedge weave technique has undergone a revival but are still considered uncommon. Textile scholars have identified Navajo weavers as the creators of this technique. Rather than weaving the weft at a horizontal line, the weft is woven in the textile at an angle creating the unique scalloped shape of the selvedge. Most historic and contemporary wedge weave textiles are woven with few colors and simple zigzag elements. The combination of wedge weave and plain weave techniques creates a unique dimensionality of the textile. The wedge weave used for the central areas of the textile doesn't lay as flat as the plain weiJve sections. The hybridization of the two techniques creates a tapestry with dimension and topography. The color scheme is based on my expanded rainbow aesthetic that features over 250 colors of yarn dyed with both natural and synthetic compounds. The natural dyes include cochineal, indigo, onion skins, turmeric, madder root, Navajo tea, wild carrots, sage, rabbit brush and others.