Set of 4: 1986 22c Navajo Indians

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ROCK, DOW SEP 1986 86515 Museum of the American Indian Navajo Art USA 22 AZ ROCK SEP 1986 Meum of the American Indian 86515 Navajo Art USA 22 DOW ROCA SEP 1986 86515 Museum of the American Indian Navajo Art USA 22 E3 XXXX ROCK, SEP 1986 86515 Lowe Art Museum Navajo Art USA 22 AZ

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NAVAJO YOUTH First Day of Issue: September 4, 1986 First Issue Location: Window Rock, Arizona Once the Navajo moved nomadically across America's Southwest. For Navajo weavers, each move meant a new loom had to be constructed, for the old one could not be brought along. Yet, with an ingenuity that has characterized the Navajo for generations, they built looms from materials found in their new surroundings. Weaving tools presented another challenge. They were often hand-fashioned of the hardest woods, which re- quired special searches of the countryside to locate just the right branches of oak, wild holly or mountain mahogany. To construct the loom and tools, the Navajo weaver spent countless hours, yet the most time-consum- ing work had not even started. For to create the beautiful Navajo weavings, they had to tend the sheep, gather the wool, card and spin yarn, and forage for plants to dye the yarn. Finally, the blanket design was conceived and the blanket painstakingly woven. The Navajo youth pictured on the front of this maximum card is dressed in a traditional costume and jewelry. No. 86-67 ©1986 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely. NAVAJO WOMAN First Day of Issue: September 4, 1986 First Issue Location: Window Rock, Arizona Women have always had an important position in Navajo society. For, inheritance is passed maternally, giving Navajo women much of the wealth and power in their society. As a result, the Navajo family structure is unique, even by the standards of modern society. For example, their hogans, or simple homes, are sometimes gathered in family clusters of dwellings for a mother, and each of her married daughters. Navajo women have yet another significant role in their culture, for it is the Navajo women who first learned weaving and created the vividly col- ored, intricately designed Navajo blankets, now famous throughout the world. This ageless knowledge is passed on to each generation only by word of mouth from mother to daughter. Therefore, the art of weaving re- quires mental discipline and creativity, as well as phys- ical stamina and endurance. For the Navajo weaver must not only conceptualize the complex blanket patterns from memory, but also create the blankets using ancient methods passed down from their elders. No. 86-68 ©1986 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely. NAVAJO MAN First Day of Issue: September 4, 1986 First Issue Location: Window Rock, Arizona Navajo elders are responsible for passing on tribal know- ledge and lore. But old-timers avoid telling their stories in the summer, because they fear lightning and the dreaded spirits they believe it brings. Indeed, the Navajo are a deeply religious and mystical people. To this day, Navajo medicine men perform curing rituals by creating sand paintings using crushed red sandstone, charcoal and sand to “paint” a healing symbol. Their patients then sit on this sand painting, in hopes of absorbing its healing power and thereby shedding any illness. Mysticism and tradition also prevail in Navajo weavings. For example, the Navajo believe their spirits are captured within the design of their weavings and if their spirits are not allowed to escape, they will eventually go crazy. Thus the Navajo usually weave a thin line of yarn into the blankets, breaking the pattern. This yarn gives their spirits an escape route. Their blanket weavings also express the Navajo's intense reverence for nature's beauty, which is an integral part of Navajo beliefs. No. 86-69 ©1986 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely. NAVAJO MAIDEN First Day of Issue: September 4, 1986 First Issue Location: Window Rock, Arizona The Navajo have always felt a reverence for the natural beauty of their homeland. This passion is reflected in their weavings which are regarded today as supreme artistic achievements. Woven by the skilled hands of the Navajo maidens, each weaving is the symbol of gener- ations of this peaceful and determined American Indian Nation. Ingenuity, perseverance, self-discipline and a special harmony with nature have enabled the Navajo people to survive and flourish. They have weathered the storms of conquest and colonization, and endured the civilizing influences of modern American culture. Their unique vision of man in harmony with himself and nature found its expression in their blanket weavings. The weav- ings reveal the character of the Navajo people; the pathos of their heritage, and the tenacity of their vision. The Navajo people continue to create their intricate blanket weavings by hand askewing modern machinery a painstaking process which sometimes takes them a year or more to complete a single blanket. No. 86-70 ©1986 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely.