Navajo Chief's Blankets

Navajo chiefs rugs are just that, Navajo rugs that are made in a chiefs blanket pattern but use heavy yarn and are true Navajo rugs not blankets. The use of chief blankets certainly was not limited to tribal leaders. (The Navajo did not have “chiefs.”) The name probably derives from the fact they were highly prized by wealthy and powerful members of Plains tribes, including the Utes and Comanche, who sought them in trade from their Navajo neighbors. These are often sold as “blankets” at blanket prices, but are actually old copies of original Navajo blankets made for the tourist trade at early trading posts. These occurred from 1900 to the 1940s.