Debunks the romanticist stereotyping of Navajo weavers and Reservation traders and situates weavers within the economic history of the southwest.

Describes Navajo patterns, styles, and weaving materials as an aid to identification, and recounts how Navajo weavers have adapted to the times

Simply written text, accompanied by detailed line illustrations of plants, explains how to select and mix natural colors of wool and prepare "recipes" for producing specific colors of dye from desert plants, among them single-flowered actinea for yellow, alder bark for a soft brown, the Rocky Mountain bee plant for a pale greenish yellow, more.

Explores the history and evolution of Navajo and Pueblo fabric arts, with 250-plus color illustrations of examples from the Southwest Museum's collection, 57 details of the works, and 49 historical photographs. Includes accounts of the early collectors and some of the colorful people who were involved in the founding of the museum and the shaping of its collection.

A basic guide to Indian bead weaving containing over 200 instructional illustrations and photographs of forty-seven bead-work projects.