We want to tell you about one of those events that can be seen as either A CHANCE TO HAVE FUN while doing good, or A CHANCE TO DO SOME GOOD and have fun too. Which you choose may depend on what you need more in this time of covid laying low. Either way, do join us. Opportunity awaits!
Every year at the Annual Meeting we have an auction of very special textiles donated by members. It is mostly silent but also includes a section that is quite rowdy. The proceeds go to WARP’s general operating fund, which can include supporting WARP programs like Assistantships and Scholarships, among others. In line with previous years, we are hoping to raise at least $5,000.
So what’s in it for you? A chance to go shopping for pretty unique pieces all from the comfort of home – like you’ve been doing for months anyway but cooler stuff! So far we have more than 80 items from at least 17 countries: Mexico, Guatemala, the Navajo Nation, the USA, Tobago, Peru, Bolivia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Japan, India, Bangladesh, China, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Norway for starters. While the majority of the items are textiles, there are also books, documentaries, a custom weaving of the buyer’s choice, two medical consultations for musculoskeletal pain, two looms, a hand-knit sculpture, masks (traditional indigenous and covid), and more. There are pieces both new and previously loved, ranging in value from $20 to $400. The auction program will have photographs of all, and pieces will be shipped from the donors at no cost to the buyers.
The big plus this year is that because the auction will be online, everyone is invited to participate. That means members who would have gone to the meeting in Bozeman last May or will go to Bozeman next summer, other WARP members, and everyone else in the world! So please invite your friends and family, as we are hoping for a great turnout. As this is WARP’s biggest fundraiser of the year, we NEED a great turnout, so at the very least take a look and give us feedback. The auction will be live from September 17 – 20, just four days, but you can start previewing and plotting your strategy on September 10. As with any auction, some items go to the first bidder, others generate a lot of interest and the bidding is lively.
To view the auction preview starting on September 10, and to participate in bidding go to WARP Auction. (Please note: no items will be viewable on the auction site until September 10. This article provides our first preview of items which will be for sale!) If you have questions, contact Mary Joan Ferrara-Marsland, WARP treasurer, at maryjferrara@gmail.com.
Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantships
Our Assistantships offer financial assistance to allow “simple living” members to attend WARP’s Annual Meeting. There is no age requirement to qualify for this award. In exchange for financial assistance, “Assistants” help at the Meeting or on a committee. What has become the “Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantship Fund” began in 2018 thanks to WARP member Susan Davis’s donation of the Gloria Davis Textile Collection. Susan’s friend, Gloria Davis was an anthropologist who collected the Indonesian textiles over her lifetime of doing field work. Gloria’s textiles are available for sale at WARP’s Annual Meetings, and proceeds from the sale of these textiles benefit the Assistantship fund.
Alice Brown Memorial Scholarships
The Alice Brown Memorial Scholarships assist applicants ages 35 and under to attend the WARP Annual Meeting. Preference is given to students or recent graduates, but those pursuing non-traditional career paths related to WARP’s mission are also encouraged to apply. This is a great opportunity for early career individuals to be impacted by what WARP has to offer. In addition to connecting with our members, recipients give a presentation about their work and receive a two-year WARP membership. The scholarship will cover the full registration and housing costs of attending our meeting. Travel costs are the responsibility of the recipient.
¡¡SUBASTA!! ¡¡AUCTION!!
Queremos contarles sobre un evento que podría ver como UNA OPORTUNIDAD DE DIVERTIRSE y hacer algo bueno, o UNA OPORTUNIDAD DE HACER ALGO BUENO y divertirse al mismo tiempo. Cuál escoge depende en lo que necesita más en este tiempo de QuedateEnCasa. En cualquier manera, por favor ¡únase! ¡La oportunidad espera!
Cada año, en nuestra Reunión Anual, tenemos una subasta de textiles muy especiales, donados por miembros de WARP. La mayoría de la subasta es silenciosa, pero también hay una parte que está muy ruidosa. Los ingresos van a gastos de operación de WARP, lo que puede incluir apoyando los programas de becas para asistir la reunión. Nuestra meta este año es atraer por lo menos $5,000.
Entonces, ¿cuál es la ganancia para usted? La oportunidad de ir de compras para piezas únicas desde el confort de su casa – como ha hecho por meses ahora, pero para cosas muy interesantes. Por el momento tenemos más de 80 artículos de por lo menos 17 países: México, Guatemala, Perú, Bolivia, la Nación Navajo, Los Estados Unidos, Tobago, Tailandia, Laos, Indonesia, Japón, India, Bangladesh, China, Uzbekistán, Afganistán, y Noruega para empezar. Mientras la mayoría de los artículos son textiles, también hay libros, documentales, un tejido hecho a la medida del comprador, dos consultas medicas por Zoom sobre dolores musculo esquelético en inglés o español, dos telares, una escultura tejida con dos agujas, mascaras (tradicional indígena y de covid), y más. Hay piezas nuevas y previamente amadas, con un valor desde $20 hasta $400. La plataforma de la subasta va a tener muchas fotografías de todo, y las piezas van a ser mandadas por los donantes, sin costo para los compradores.
El beneficio más grande este año es que por ser en línea, todos están invitados a participar: los miembros quienes iban ir a Bozeman en mayo o van a ir a Bozeman el año entrante, los miembros que no pueden ir a la reunión, y ¡todo el mundo afuera de WARP! Entonces, por favor invite a sus familiares y amigos porque queremos que mucha gente participe. Por ser la recaudación de fondos la más grande del año, necesitamos muchos participantes, entonces por lo menos por favor mire todo y nos da retroalimentación. La subasta es en vivo desde 17 hasta 20 de septiembre, cuatro días, pero puede tener una prevista y hacer su estrategia empezando el 10 de septiembre. Como con cualquier subasta, unas cosas se venden al primer postor, otras generan mucho interés y la postura es muy animada.
Gloria Davis Memorial Assistantships
Nuestras becas ofrecen ayuda financiera que permite miembros de la categoría “vivir sencilla” asistir a la Reunión Anual. Esta beca no tiene requisitos de edad. En cambio por la beca, los asistentes ayudan con la Reunión o en un comité. Este fondo empezó en 2018 gracias a una donación de Susan Davis de la Colección Textil de Gloria Davis. Una amiga de Susan, Gloria Davis era una antropóloga que adquirió textiles de Indonesia durante su vida trabajando en el campo. Estos textiles están en venta en cada Reunión Anual de WARP, y los ingresos de sus ventas van hacia este fondo para becas para asistir.
Alice Brown Becas Memoriales
Estas becas ayudan a los solicitantes de 35 años o menos a asistir a la Reunión Anual. Hay preferencia para estudiantes o recién graduados, pero los que están en carreras no-tradicionales que son relacionadas con la misión de WARP también los alentamos para solicitar. Esta es una oportunidad buena para individuos temprano en sus carreras para experimentar el impacto de lo que WARP puede ofrecer. Además que conocer los miembros de WARP, cada recipiente da una presentación sobre su trabajo, y recibe membresía de WARP para dos años. La beca paga su inscripción y costo de hospedaje. El costo de viajar es responsabilidad del recipiente.
Travel Can Help
While we cannot and should not travel NOW, travel provides curious travelers the opportunity to visit first-hand, meet the weavers, embroiderers, and authors of the works, see the designs and traditional dress that are being copied. It offers the opportunity to experience and absorb the cultural and natural context of place and people. Following these intercultural visits, travelers have a greater ability to recognize original creations, their designs and iconography. Knowing the original helps contribute to recognizing the imitation. Furthermore, the original is always better than the fake. It looks better, feels better, and it means so much more having travelled to the cultural and natural environment, into the homes and workshops of the artisans. And of course, the most tangible and an important benefit, is that the money goes directly to the artisans. This money often represents the only or most of the household income. Why would anyone want a copy after having the opportunity to see, admire, learn about, and purchase the real thing?
El Caso de Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca
As of May 22, Peru ranked second only to Brazil in Latin America in the number of reported COVID cases. The Peruvian government took lockdown action on March 16, which certainly helped early on in keeping the virus contained. But now, due to people’s lack of following safe protocols, Peru is showing an alarming increase in cases. Fortunately, the Andean highland communities have remained relatively safe compared to the coastal and Amazonian ones. The CTTC has been closed since the quarantine, and its ten member weaving communities have been advised to weave in their homes and not at the village weaving centers. While the virus hasn’t reached them, it has translated into a loss of textile sales, their main means of income.
For the past twenty-one years, 
The Situation End of May
During April and May, 
A partir de 22 de mayo, Perú estuvo en lugar #2 en América Latina después Brasil en la cantidad de casos de COVID reportados. El gobierno de Perú tomó acción de cierre del país el 16 de marzo, y es cierto que esto ayudó a contener el virus. Pero ahora, por falta de usa protocolos seguros por la parte de mucha gente, hay una subida de casos alarmante en Perú. Afortunadamente, las comunidades del altiplano andino han seguido más o menos seguros en comparación de las de la costa y del Amazona. El CTTC ha estado cerrado desde el principio de la cuarentena, y sus diez comunidades de tejedores han estado aconsejados a tejer en sus casas, no en los centros comunitarios. Aunque el virus no ha tocado a ellos directamente, sí ha resultado en una pérdida de ventas de textiles, su fuente principal de ingresos.
Por veintiún años la asociación 
En abril y mayo 
And there are the collectors, scholars, native art aficionados, where history is important, the weaver is important, which regional styles are favored, the timeline of styles from early 1850s to present time, and most importantly, they know the differences in what a blanket, a rug, or a high weft count tapestry are. They know that the textiles of the weavers who hand processed their materials are more expensive than the textiles where weavers used commercial materials. However, there are more complex issues involved so they do not automatically dismiss a textile woven with commercial materials. They are aware that Navajo weaving isn’t just a craft, it is an investment in fine art and much more. At the top level, some know how Diné weavers live and weave in a myriad world of integrating ancient knowledge, cultural protocols and traditional pathways, and adapting to the present without losing any of their core concept of hózhó. Hózhó extrapolates the Diné’s understanding of harmony as it is reflected in their lives as weavers.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act (
Many non-Navajo students come to Navajo weaving classes to learn about the weaving, our culture, and our traditions. Hopefully, these students have the benefit of an actual Navajo weaver using a Navajo loom to guide them in their learning. Knowledge and teaching are freely given, but students are not being taught to BE Navajo weavers. If a weaver isn’t Navajo, then Navajo weaving is not their tradition. Students are being taught the techniques. They are learning history and tradition. They are being given a safe place to explore and learn about our cultural woven traditions. Here are some guidelines for when a non-Navajo student participates in Navajo weaving. Do not label the weaving as ‘Navajo’. Do not sell these weavings. These designs belong to the Navajo people. Explore them, learn about them, but don’t sell them. These weavings can be given as gifts or made for personal use, but they should never be made for commercial reasons. Never copy the weaving of a known or distinctive artist without permission. There is a fine line between learning exploration and appropriation.
The deciding factor of Navajo weaving appropriation is the recognizable use of Navajo designs. It is not the use of Navajo looms, Navajo tools, or fiber. My family and I encourage all students to expand their creative designs. My sister Barbara and I have on occasion received push back for teaching Navajo weaving to non-Navajos. Education and sharing lead to survival and an open world. We want people to learn more about the Navajo people and Navajo weaving. Barbara and I deeply respect and guard our sacred traditions. We bring sample designs for our beginning weaving classes that are simple and are designed to teach specific weaving techniques such as hook joins or diagonals, to move designs to the right first, then move to the left without adding a new weft. The designs are simple, and we have three levels, easy, medium, and challenging. We have discussions on what is appropriate for Navajo beginning students and what is appropriate for non-Navajo students. We encourage and assist the non-Navajo students to come up with a design that is meaningful for them within their design sense and/or their own cosmology.
Pero déjenos decir que alguien toma un tejido navajo y lo copia y vende su producto. Esto no es apreciación, es apropiación.
El factor decisivo de apropiación de tejidos navajos es el uso reconocible de diseños navajos. No es el uso de los telares navajos, herramientas navajos, ni fibras. Con mi familia animamos a nuestras estudiantes a expandir sus diseños creativos. Mi hermana Bárbara y yo a veces recibimos presiones por enseñar a tejer navajo a gente que no son navajo. Educación y compartiendo conducen a sobrevivencia y un mundo abierto. Queremos que la gente aprenda más sobre el pueblo navajo y los tejidos navajos. Bárbara y yo tenemos respeto profundo y guardamos nuestras tradiciones sagradas. Traemos ejemplos de diseños para nuestras estudiantes principiantes sencillos y diseñados para enseñar técnicas específicas como hook joins o diagonales, para mover diseños hacia la derecha primero, y después moverlos hacia la izquierda sin añadir trama nueva. Los diseños son sencillos, y tenemos tres niveles, fácil, mediano, y complejo. Tenemos conversaciones sobre lo que es conveniente para estudiantes principiantes navajos y lo que es conveniente para estudiantes no-navajos. Animamos y atendemos las estudiantes no-navajo para crear un diseño que significa algo para ellas con su propio sentido de diseño y/o cosmología.
I wove a period piece tapestry in 2011 and entered it into the Santa Fe Indian Market as a Child’s Blanket. Child’s Blankets were made from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. My designs tell the story of our people, prisoners of war, and their journey home to our homeland in 1868. The designs that are top and bottom of the black and white are prison fences at Bosque Redondo. Our people crossed over rough terrain; the flat blue and gray represent the terrain. The black and gray crosses are a simple variant of a Spider Woman cross that guided our people. I on purpose did not weave in the Spider Woman crosses that are traditional. I made them plain black with gray because the faith was still there but our people needed and wanted to get home first. The middle part is when the weavers are home, there is a renaissance, a color explosion, and the little yellow sections that belong on traditional Spider Woman crosses appear.
A copy of my Child’s Blanket from the Santa Fe Indian Market is in the right column. Woven in acrylic, the price was as low as $8.50 each for bulk purchase. A magazine called the owner and asked about it, and he said it was a variant of a Navajo traditional design. He then said they were going to take my design out of the catalog to avoid future problems.
These are two more of my Child’s Blanket series:
Ella Goodine-Richardson – New York City – Veterans Groups
Dot Strasser – Portland, Oregon – Footsteps to Recovery 
Nancy Liebrecht – Fries, Virginia – Blue Ridge Fiber Fest 
Blue Ridge Fiber Fest. The first festival, two years ago, surprised everyone — us included. Around 1300 visitors descended on the town of Sparta, North Carolina. The only motel in town filled, and local restaurants ran out of food.
Adrienne Sloane, Watertown, Mass. – Artist
Vanina Bujalter – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Artist 
Adrienne Sloane, Watertown, Mass. – Artist 
The appropriation of Native American resources is a tricky issue, with wider cultural implications than just taking possession of something not one’s own. Yes, there has been plenty of that. Just look at a map to see what little sovereign tribal U.S. land remains. Other examples prevail as well. Nazi Germany’s appropriation of the swastika as a fascist insignia comes immediately to mind, virtually disallowing Navajo weavers to use it thereafter to signify an exquisitely conceived vision ignored by European interlopers intent on spreading their own world view.
In accepting that challenge, I sought approval from Navajo elders. I hoped to fashion an English version, I explained, of how the world as they knew it was forged by pre-human prototypes Altsé asdzáá the First Man, and First Woman Altsé asdzáá; how they were assisted by Dyin dine’é–a consortium of gods and animals best identified in English as “Holy People”; how the Warrior Twins, Naayéé neizgháni the Monster Slayer, and Born For Water, or Tó bájísh chiní, secured that world suitably for humans to occupy and maintain it; how Asdzáán nadleehé the Changing Woman and The Sun Jóhaa’éé’é, agreed to live together in harmony to assure that the seasons would pass each in its turn so that life would go on.
It’s a grand story, full of pathos and humor, with a subtle understanding of male-female dynamics as a key to thorough ecological understanding. I could use it as a case study, I suggested, to demonstrate that traditional Native thought thrives on home-grown cultural depth and artistic expression. Something like that can’t be appropriated like land, like artifacts sequestered in museums or sold in art galleries, like pawn resold at inflated prices, or like children herded into boarding schools and forced to adopt alien ways. Alternatively, their origin story should endure as nothing less than an ongoing tribute to full environmental plentitude: to Mother Earth and Father Sky in full harmony with all that can be observed on earth and in the heavens as a grand living cosmos. It is thinking mirrored in other indigenous creation stories like those of the Mayans or the Iroquois, all awaiting broad recognition.
“This story is not mine,” I now remind those who read it. “It comes to me as a borrowed gift that belongs to the Navajos as an expression of a centuries-old collective genius to be widely shared and better understood.” To younger generations of Navajo students I taught at the branch campus of the Navajo Nation’s Diné College in reciprocation for that opportunity, I repeated, “Don’t just read this version; ask your grandparents to tell you more, and pass along that, too, to your own children and grandchildren.” For readers in general these words will remain fixed in a book, from which they can circulate far afield and into the future.
Appropriation is one thing; shared knowledge is another. Need an example? Read Nancy Mattina’s triumphant biography of Gladys Reichard, Uncommon Anthropologist, recently published by the University of Oklahoma Press. It tells the long-overlooked story of a Pennsylvania woman’s rise in the early 1900’s from small-town, working-class roots to world prominence as an anthropologist whose bold approach to linguistics resulted in a redefinition of Native American ethnology. For half of the twentieth century she divided her life between summers joining Navajos in their everyday lives in White Sands, Arizona, and school years as a dedicated Bernard College anthropology professor in New York City. On the Reservation she learned to weave and participated actively in an elaborate ceremonial system, where she mastered its storied background. On campus she remained a dedicated teacher imparting her knowledge with rare open-mindedness at a time when her colleagues thought themselves experts on primitive cultures awaiting civilized uplift.