Teaching textile traditions is a gift mothers pass to their children generation after generation. Whether in Mexico or Morocco, Afghanistan or Laos, mothers have been teaching their daughters (ands sons) to weave, to spin, to dye, to embroider for centuries. Sharing these skills with the next generation is practical, of course, because it creates a […]
10
Jul
Jul
When Lynda Pete or Barbara Ornelas greet you with the naming of their clans, they’re greeting you on behalf of their extended family: grandmothers, aunts, children, grandchildren. Their clans wrap them in the warm blanket of their history and culture, their lives. I’ve been thinking about the Elder women of their clans who appear in […]
22
May
May
Our minds and hearts have been in the Navajo Nation in recent weeks, as we have put finishing touches on our new book, How To Weave a Navajo Rug and Other Lessons From Spider Woman (available in October). We’ve also worried and grieved as we hear news of how hard-hit the Navajos have been by […]
21
Feb
Feb
In mid-December, we received a detailed narrative from Lynda Pete and her sister Barbara Ornelas (authors of Spider Woman’s Children: Navajo Weavers Today) about the consulting work they were doing at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York. It seems they were on hand to help prepare an interactive Navajo weaving exhibition at the Bard […]
31
May
May
I’m continually impressed with our authors and their ongoing work. I shouldn’t be. I know how extraordinary they are, but when I receive missives from far and wide, apprising me of their activities, I have to marvel a bit. Deborah Chandler writes from her home in Guatemala City to say that on her way to […]
04
Jan
Jan
Spider Woman’s Children author Lynda Pete has taken time from her demanding teaching and lecturing schedule to send us this moving story of sharing the first copies of Spider Woman with her family. You’ll love it. Thanks, Lynda, and welcome home! Thump, thump, thump, my weaving comb is singing to me as I beat down […]
28
Dec
Dec
Recently, Facebook showed me a little video it had produced to summarize the high points of my life in 2018. So thoughtful of them. They did manage to include some fun trips and moments with special friends, though they omitted a son’s wedding and a couple of other major milestones. Made me wonder what […]
16
Nov
Nov
November is National Native American Heritage Month—a country-wide celebration of the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. Thrums Books joins the Smithsonian, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, and other organizations in paying tribute to Native peoples. We’ve been celebrating the ancestry and traditions of […]
21
Sep
Sep
Watch Mary Louise Gould spin wool from her sheep, inch by inch, and you get a visceral idea of the patience and care and sheer time required to create a fine Navajo rug. No, really! Just click HERE and take a couple of minutes to see a real Navajo master weaver make her yarn. Actually, […]
24
Aug
Aug
Story and Memory Our two new fall books–Spider Woman’s Children and Rug Money–are beginning to arrive in bookstores, libraries, and maybe even your own mailbox. We’re shouting from the rooftops about how beautiful they are, how useful and inspiring. Celebrating new books always reminds me of the stories behind the making of the book. Little […]
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