Unlikely Survivors

There are a lot of semi-prominent people named Barry Friedman—an NYU law professor, a juggler, an antiques dealer and a standup comedian.

Barry Friedman of Phoenix is the world's foremost appraiser of Native American trade blankets, with a focus on those made by Portland's own Pendleton Woolen Mills.

Friedman, author of the new book Still Chasing Rainbows, comes to Oregon this week to speak about those blankets in Salem, Pendleton and at Portland's Pendleton Home Store.

His interest started in 1969, when, as a broke Arizona State University student with lots of spare time, he bought an intricately designed wool blanket for 85 cents.

Since that fateful purchase, Barry has authored two books about Indian trade blankets—2003's Chasing Rainbows, the bible of Indian trade blanket collecting, and its sequel, Still Chasing Rainbows. We asked him about the beginning of the blanket phenomenon, cultural appropriation and how to tell whether that 85-cent blanket at your neighbor's garage sale might be worth thousands.

WW: So how did you go from buying blankets to researching them?

Barry Friedman: I couldn't find anything out about Pendleton—this was long before the Internet. So I called the company, and they didn't really provide much in the way of information because they had a couple of fires where their records were destroyed. All they could tell me was, the company first started making blankets in 1896, and the label on the one I had bought was not the present label they were using. Obviously, it was older, but they couldn't tell me how old. From now until then, I have just been researching. Today, this guy showed me an old blanket I had never seen. Even as an old geezer, I haven't seen everything, and that's what keeps me interested.

You say Indian blankets have been made for Native Indians, not by them. Can you explain what that means?

There was this huge trend in the Eastern United States for Oriental rugs. Anyone who was reporting to be hip or trendy had an Oriental rug. So, some trader went to the Indians and said, "You know what, you've been making lightweight blankets for years, but we'd like you to make much thicker, heavier textile that can withstand traffic." From then on, the Navajo loomed Navajo rugs on sale for white people. Someone, somewhere else, we think in Illinois, said, "Well, they're not making blankets anymore, but they still want to buy blankets. We're going to make a woolen mill and start making blankets for the Indians." That's how the trade blanket was invented. So, for 123 years, Indians have been making rugs for white guys and white guys have been making blankets for Indians. About half of Pendleton's production still goes to Indians today.

What is the cultural difference between blankets for Native Americans and non-Natives?

For white people, they obviously don't use them for warmth like the Indians did. They use them more as decorative bed blankets, or stack them up in a cozy corner in their house. Indians still use them as garments and as blankets, but they also use them as gifts. The Pendleton wool blanket is like the Rolls-Royce of Indian blankets. Pendleton is the real deal—anything else is just cheap.

Have there been any issues or controversy between Native Americans and Pendleton over the commercial production of these blankets?

There are a couple of interesting articles on the Internet about how some people feel Pendleton is sort of co-opting native culture by using these designs. What the people writing these articles don't realize is that these are not Indian designs that were formulated by Indians. These designs were formulated by white people for Indians. I don't think they have a basis to complain, because this is strictly a white person's idea of what will sell to the Indians, and there isn't a story in the designs. It doesn't tell the story of mountains or rivers—it's strictly a design.

What makes a blanket worth more, and what special qualities do you look for when appraising one?

There is a type of Pendleton blanket that is always going to be quite valuable, and it's called the round-corner blanket. These were made between 1896 and 1908. The Bishop family bought Pendleton in 1909, and their blankets have square corners and are still square today. Any blanket before 1920 is going to be valuable, with regard to age, the condition, the pattern and the colors. A round-corner blanket in great condition and with primary colors is going to be thousands of dollars, whereas later blankets are going to be low hundreds.

What do you find most interesting about the Pendleton blanket?

There really is no reason why they should survive at all. Until about 25 years ago, there was little monetary value to them. There's no major reason why people would keep them for all these years—unlike Navajo rugs, which have had value for hundreds of years. The fact that any survived at all is a miracle, because they were strictly utilitarian items. The Indians used these until they were worn out and then went to the trading post and got a new one.

Why or how do you think they stuck around?

I guess you'd have to find someone who kept one and ask them. I find blankets that still have the original cardboard tags on them, and you can't imagine why anyone bought it, never used it and their family has kept it for years and years and years, when really it had no value the whole time. What we're seeing are the survivors.

GO: Barry Friedman speaks at the Pendleton store at Portland International Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 11 am-2 pm, and at the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill Street SE, Salem, from 7-9 pm. He visits the Pendleton Home Store, 220 NW Broadway, 535-5444, on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 11 am-1 pm. Free.

WWeek 2015