Navajo flag-pattern blanket, about 1919
Native Americans have long incorporated the image of the U.S. flag into their traditional arts and handicrafts. While some have used the flag to express their patriotism, others have used it in very different ways—as a prize of war, an entreaty for government aid and protection, an appeal to the white tourist market, or a symbol of political protest. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which presented this blanket to the Smithsonian in 1920, it was woven by a Navajo woman in honor of her son's service in World War I.
See also:
Flags, Folk Art, Native American History, World War I
