Abstract:

In this article, it is aimed to examine the weavings of the Navajo people living in the North and Southwest of America and the Anatolian Turkish weavings in terms of technique, color, motif, pattern and composition and to reveal the similarities and differences between them. The article was carried out by analyzing and rearranging of the data obtained from the literature. Therefore, in this study, the motifs in Navajo and Anatolian Turkish weavings were examined and the meanings of these motifs were discussed. In addition, field research was carried out in museums and in many regions of Anatolia at different times, and photographs of weavings were taken by interviewing weavers. There are great similarities between the motifs found in the weavings of the Navajo and Anatolian Turks. These similarities in motifs are formed by religious beliefs, lifestyles and cultural influence. While the motifs in Anatolian weavings were shaped according to the feelings and thoughts of the weavers and the plants grown in the region where they lived, they emerged by being inspired by the climate and earth forms in Navajo natives. The presence of similar motifs in the weavings indicates that these people have a common ancestor and a common past. Tribes who migrated from Central Asia to Anatolia and North America continued their cultures inherited from their ancestors in the regions where they settled and became integrated with those lands. This article argues that the motifs in Anatolian and Navajo weavings are similar to each other because of their kinship relations.