The designs on the lower left blanket are Aztec (eagle on cactus, holding snake, Aztec warriors) , indicating a Mexican blanket. The other one looks very Mexican to me just based on design and colors, but I can't see the ends and corners. Can you post a picture of those parts of the blanket?

Learn genealogy ... she couldn't erase government records like the census, so if you know her name you can trace her on ancestry.com and find out what's up.

There are also tribal records. If your family has a long history in Oklahoma, Cherokee is the top guess.

I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond. Been dealing with medical issues. My Grandparents have both passed & my Parents do not know the name of my Freat Great Grandmother in the picture. However, I am still looking through genealogy records/census records. I have also submitted a DNA sample to help with the process of identifying our Native American heritage. I took some pictures of the corner/bottom of the blanket with the symbols on it for you. Thank you again for all your help.

The blanket is NOT Navajo ... the fringed and twisted ends are typical of Mexican blankets, and blankets done on European style looms. So it's not helpful.

My Grandparents have both passed & my Parents do not know the name of my Freat Great Grandmother in the picture.

Start with your grandparents (all four of them) and the 1940 census, then work back from there, building a pedigree and documenting it.

I have a membership at ancestry.com if you want some quick help. I would need your grandparent's names and date of birth, place of birth and SSN if you have it. Name of the husband or some children of the woman in question if you have it, with as much info as you have.

E-mail me via gardenweb and we can do it. I can build a pedigree you can see on there, then you can copy it and continue with it. There's also a free geneology site, but they have fewer resources.

The twisting seems to have happened with time. Someone in the family after the early 1900's sewed material over the tassels (?) / ends if the blankets to protect there integrity/keep them from unraveling. Whether I find out that they were Cherokee or Navajo, this still needs to be kept in mind: The whole states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as well as parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas were all part of Mexico at one time. So that could explain the Aztec/Mexican look of both blankets. The Navajo ran sheep back & forth and adapted/maintained some of the Mexican characteristics. Hopefully the appraiser or an appraiser can shed some more light on things. I also sent in a DNA sample yesterday. Hopefully that will help narrow things down as well. Thank you for all your assistance. I am currently researching census records on ancestry.com. Enclosing pic of end of blanket my GGGrandmother is wearing in pucture posted earlier.

The original US-Mexico border was defined by the Sabine River north from the Gulf of Mexico to the 32nd parallel north (32ðN), then due north to the Red River, west along the Red River to the 100th meridian west (100ðW), due north to the Arkansas River, west to its headwaters, north to the 42nd parallel north (42ðN), and finally west along that parallel to the Pacific Ocean.

Texas was lost during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836). Territory of Texas at the time included present-day Texas, as well as those parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming described above.

During the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) Mexico lost all the remaining territories, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah and the rest of Colorado as well as most of northern New Mexico and Arizona. Also at the end of the war Mexico was forced to cease any attempt on reclaiming Texas. This is also known as the Mexican Cession (1848).

I have some Indian blankets that are around 40-50 yrs old (purchased on vacations to AZ, NM, etc) and mine don't have any 'fringe' nor do they look anything like the ones you posted.

I have seen many 'serape' type Mexican blankets which do look more like the ones you posted.

CMM

I have an old Indian or Mexican blanket that was passed down through the family. Very thin, but I am pretty sure it is wool. I have no idea how old it is, but the fringe threads are hand tied. There does seem to be some twisting on some strings. On the longest string that I can find on the fringe, there are 3 knots. One at the base, next to the blanket. One almost half way between blanket and tip of string, and one about 1/8 from the end of the fringe.

Contact the Antiques Road Show people. They may be interested. If these blankets are as old as you think they are, most likely, those have high value. The picture of your g...grandmother modeling the blanket is a very important item for dating the blanket. Local appraisers may not know the true value.

One place to start is with a curator of a museum specalizing in Native American arts, but I think that the Antiques Road Show is where I'd begin.

The first and the 3rd appear to be Navajo, the 2nd one I am not sure of, without doing some research, and the bottom certainly looks like a Saltillo serape>
You might try contacting the Heard......
http://www.heardmuseumshop.com/

I am hoping you can help me figure out if these are real Indian blankets, or maybe a suggestion to where to find out if they are authentic . They were my great aunts, left in a hope chest forever. I hope its ok to post here for help.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

How about a picture?

1 of 3

1 of 3

2 of 3

Sorry for the duplicate, I had a heck of a time uploading. my first message, I thought had the blankets attached. Again that's for any help!

Need much closer pictures and of the edges along with the size. However they look like tourist trade blankets rather than ones made for home use. The white band around would seldom be found.

They are not Navajo because they are woven on a narrow loom, very possibly Rio Grande or Chimayo.
Google those sorts of blankets to see the difference.
I don't know where you are but I think it might be a good idea to truck them down to Chimayo weavers ( just north of Santa Fe) and or the Heard Museum in Phoenix to see what they say.

I am in Oregon, my great Uncle traveled all over though, (what i heard)They are about 53.5 ish by 77 ish.they all have a middle seam. I was told he had Indian in him, but I never heard which tribe, and ancestry just has he came from Canada. I will check your suggestions, thank you!

I suspect that the Heard Museum might give you a quick answer from a picture...or Perhaps you could contact the Wheelright in Santa Fe.

I PICKED UP THE ABOVE VINTAGE PIECE ALONG TIME AGO IN A BIG COLLECTION. I HANDLE VINTAGE TOYS,AND NEVER HAVE RESEARCHED THIS.THE CONDITION IS ROUGH,BUT I REMEBER SELLER OF COLLECTION THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT ITEM. I NEVER GAVE MUCH THOUGHT TO IT.THANK YOU FOR ANY INFO,REGARDS JEFF

Need closer pictures....and a size....but it looks very much like a good old Navajo rug. Are there "lazy lines"?

thank you for the fast responses.after hearing,i did look a little on ebay at navajo rugs......saw such a wide range from $30 to 1500....this one looks old with some staining and wear.so may not be very desirable. i know a local person he runs big auctions on proxybid.i may give it to hime and see if it lands somewhere on the food chain.....not expecting much myself.but i guess will find out.thanks again to all.

Hey swest_191. Do you still have the two blankets? If yes, can you plese post a picture of the complete blanket your GGG Grandmother is wearing? I am pretty sure both blankets are Mexican but I need to see the full design on the one your grandmother is wearing. The other is definitley Mexican, from Oaxaca. Thank you.