1. Fiber Arts
The Navajo People

2. The Navajo People
The Navajo are a group of Native Americans who live in the American Southwest.

3. Where is the Southwest?

4. History of the Navajo
The Navajo call themselves Diné, which means “the People”.
According to archeologists, they were travelers who decided to settle in the Southwest near the Pueblo Indians in the 1500s.

5. Time Line
2000
1492
1500s
1776
2006

6. Along came a spider…
The Navajo believe they were created by the Spider Woman when the world was created.
The Spider Woman started with the sky, and wove the earth, the rivers, and everything else into it.
She taught the first women to weave, and they taught their daughters.

7. Women in Charge The Navajo respect their women very much
Traditionally, women owned the house, land, and animals

8. Animal Tales
Nature is an important part of the lives and beliefs of the Navajo People.
They even believe that beavers and coyotes helped the first people build the first Hogan, which is their home.

9. Why do you think Nature is important to the Navajo?

10. Hard Times
The Navajo have had many battles with their neighbors such as the Pueblo, the Mexicans, and the Spanish colonists
The women and children were kidnapped and sold into slavery

11. Hard Times
They were even kicked out of their homes and off their land, as they were forced to march 300 miles by Americans in 1864

12. Tough People They never gave up on who they were
They made friends with their neighbors as they learned to trade goods
The Americans gave them back their land

13. Today
Many Navajo people live on their land called Reservations and create art to sell such as jewelry, pottery and Fiber Art

14. It’s art that is made of fibers
What is Fiber Arts?
It’s art that is made of fibers

15. What is Fiber?
Fiber is material like cotton or grass that is turned into yarn or thread
The Navajo commonly use wool from their sheep

16. Kinds of Fiber Art
Weaving is one kind where you can make objects such as blankets, rugs, or baskets.

17. Why do you think weaving is important to the Navajo people?

18. Kinds of Fiber Arts
Embroidery is another kind of Fiber Art where you sew to make pictures.
Do you think this was made by a Navajo?

19. Elements of Art
Fiber Art uses
Texture
Shape
Color
Line
Value

20. Fiber Art has Texture Texture is something you feel with your hands
How would these feel?

21. Fiber Art has Shapes
Shape is a closed 2D area

22. Fiber Art has Color

23. Fiber Art has Lines
Line is a dot that moves from one point to another

24. Fiber Art has Value
Value is light and dark

25. Principles of Design Fiber Art uses Emphasis Balance Repetition
Pattern

26. Fiber Art uses Emphasis
Emphasis is the strongest area of the composition where all the attention goes

27. Fiber Art uses Balance

28. Fiber Art uses Repetition
Repetition is when you repeat an element

29. Fiber Art uses Pattern

30. The Navajo people created wonderful Art that is important to us.
Conclusion
The Navajo people created wonderful Art that is important to us.
They thought about the Elements of Art and Principles of Design as they made their work.