Jean-Paul Valette and Rebecca Loose Valette

After 40 years of research, Jean-Paul Valette (PhDEcon) and Rebecca Loose Valette (PhDFren’63) published the book Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes: A Historical Overview of a Secular Art Form. Rebecca’s parents were introduced to Navajo rugs by their neighbor, famed archeologist Earl Morris (Psych1914; MA1916). “Their love of these beautiful weavings was passed on to me, and then also to my hus- band,” writes Rebecca. In the 1970s, the couple acquired a Navajo blanket and began investigating its history and origin. Over the next four decades, they assembled a collection of more than 100 ceremonial-themed textiles, published several articles in American Indian Art Magazine and curated two museum exhibits of Yeibichai weavings.