An Early Hopi Maiden Shawl or Manta

Hopi

Circa 1875 | Cotton, Wool | Item 1894

This is a classic Hopi maiden shawl. These colorful mantas were worn by the young women before they were married. A family male member would typically weave this manta on an upright loom. The warp and weft on the body are both undyed cotton, the weft being hand spun and the warp being plied (either hand plied or machine plied). The weaving technique used here is a diagonal twill. The top and bottom bands are hand spun white wool dyed with deep indigo blue and woven as a herring bone twill into the cotton warp and weft. Adjacent to the indigo herring bone twill are the diagonal twill woven red bands, with a fine and worsted raveled bayeta for the yarn. It is assumed that this is a synthetic red and is not cochineal or lac. A test has yet to be preformed. These red bayeta yarns are also woven into the cotton warps and wefts. The earlier date is suggested since the bayeta is worsted, and not woolen, which aligns with the earliest bayeta making its way into the Southwest.