ush concealments.
At the end of a long day in the saddle the traveller may wonder where the
many thousands of Navaho reside; but his inquiry may be answered if he
will but climb to the summit of one of the many low mountains and view the
panorama as the long shadows of evening are creeping on. Here and there in
every direction the thin blue smoke of the campfire may be seen curling
upward as these desert people prepare their evening meal. In this clear,
rare atmosphere the far distant horizon is the only limit to his vision.
Just below, a mile or so away, may perhaps be seen the smoke from a group
of half a dozen hogans. Miles beyond is another group, and still beyond
another, and so throughout the sweep of vision. These people and their
life are delightfully Indian, but slightly influenced by the white man's
ways. As the chief human touch of the great southwestern desert the Navaho
are the artist's joy, and as a subject for the ethnologist their
ceremonial life furnishes limitless material for study.

The handicraft of the Navaho is seen at its best in their blanketry, which
is one of the most important industries of any Indians within our domain.
The greater portion of the wool from their hundreds of thousands of sheep
is used in weaving, and in addition a considerable quantity of commercial
yarn is employed for the same purpose. The origin of the textile art among
the Navaho is an open question. It is probable that they did not learn it
from anyone, but that it developed as a part of their domestic culture. It
is contended by some that the early Spanish missionaries taught the Navaho
to weave; but why should the white man be accredited with this art? The
mummies found in the prehistoric cliff-ruins of the Navaho country are
wrapped in cloth finer than any ever produced with a Navaho loom, and no
doubt now remains that Pueblo people were incorporated by the Navaho in
ancient times.

The blankets made in earlier days, say from fifty to a hundred and fifty
years ago, are beautiful examples of primitive handicraft. The body of a
so-called bayeta blanket was woven of close-spun native wool, dyed dark
blue, while the red pattern was from the ravellings of Spanish bayeta.
Much of the beauty of the old blankets is due to the mellowing of the
native colors by age, but practically none of these rare examples are to
be found among the Navaho at the present time. The blankets of to-day may
be roughly divided into three classes: