"What's On My Fire": Wool Dying with Navajo Tea

Tamerra Martin

Navajo Weaving BFA Student: CA315 Wool Processing II

Navajo Tea ready to boil!

Yá'át'éeh, Greetings!  I hope that you and yours are well and healthy during these challenging times. I am very excited to share my very first “What’s On My Fire” update that will fill you in on my progress of learning how to dye wool with Sarah Nataanii. Learning to dye with natural plants that have been utilized by Weavers from past to present is one of my dreams. We will also be learning how to dye wool with commercial dyes as well. 

In preparation of dying wool, I found it interesting that it was encouraged to recycle or repurpose materials.  There’s really no need to go and purchase everything new.  You just have to look around and see what you could use.  A metal basket with bailing wire could be turned into a strainer or empty water/milk jugs could be used to make tags to label your skeins.

Our first lesson was to dye with Navajo Tea.  My helpers, and myself, harvested Navajo Tea that was growing near home.  We looked for the batch that was ready for harvest; the ones that already had blossoms on them.  We picked a big batch!  Half was used for the dye and the other half was rolled and tied for tea.

My harvesting helpers :)

Once the tea was ready; we added the unbleached white wool and the heather gray wool...the colors that came from the first dye bath were very subdued.  The second dye bath, when the alum mordant was added, the colors was very bright!  The first dye lesson was a success! 

Wool dyed with Navajo tea

When seeing the colors that developed from this lesson, I couldn’t help but think about the many other plants on the land that serve a purpose.  Whether it was a natural remedy for an ailment, or an essential item for a ceremonial reason or a utilitarian item; these plants served a purpose.  I am very honored to be learning these ways and that I can share this with my helpers.  We are already looking forward to the next plant dye session.

If you are interested in joining the Navajo Weaving BFA program in the fall, be sure to get in contact with Christine Ami (cmami@dinecollege.edu) or Crystal Littleben (cclittleben@dinecollege.edu). It's a one of a kind program - only offered here at Diné College!    ​​​