In Pre-Columbian times, traders came up from the South to trade with our southwestern Pueblo peoples. Turquoise, beads, shells, and silver coins were exchanged. In this costume, the Trader has adorned himself with his stock in trade: turquoise and coins. An overspun warp, sometimes called a Navaho warp, of goat hair, causes this garment to move and twist.
The weaving structure is called a broken twill and it has no definite diagonal lines (like a twill weave). The fine vertical warp lines serve to anchor down the yoke area. This weaving structure is called the Moorman Technique. Yarns used in the warp include silk/polyester blends, silk noil, and cotton. Acrylic paint adds the blue lines, and the coins from Guatemala are circa 1900.
36” x 40”
Soft Costume
Ken Jacques, Photographer - San Diego, California
Anne Abendroth - Artist
