Indian Rugs

The exact meaning of the phrase “Indian rug” can be hard to pin down. Some people use the term to describe Native American or American Indian rugs. Others use the phrase to refer to rugs which have actually come from the country of India. Even within the rugs which come from India there are differences between authentic styles and generalized “Persian” and “Oriental” styles. It is even possible to purchase an Indian rug with a Chinese design that was simply made in India!

IndianRugs.com is dedicated to providing information about the different styles of Indian rugs available. On this site, articles are provided which discuss such things as choosing the right rug size for a room, information on the rugs of India, and also some history which deals with rugs in general. Because some people stumble across this page while searching for more information about the rugs created by indigenous American tribes, we also have provided some information about Navajo blankets as well as Zapotec weavings.

There is also information included which details how to find a quality rug. Some of this information will apply specifically to regional rug styles. Other tips may be more generally applicable.

This site is not designed to sell any particular style of rug. Instead, our goal is simply to provide reliable and useful information about the various kinds of Indian rugs available.

Because this site deals with cultural topics, there are a few notes about word choices which are worth addressing:

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, there is some confusion that comes with the word, “Indian.” While it is generally not offensive to call someone from India an Indian, many members of the indigenous tribes of the Americas prefer to be called, “Native Americans” or “American Indians.” (Of course, in both these situations it depends on which member originating from which culture in which area. That is to say, some Navajo people may prefer “American Indians,” some “Native Americans,” some “Indigenous people,” etc.)

On the other hand is the use of the word, “oriental.” The term, “Orient” simply means, “east.” However, there are many other connotations which the word carries. For instance, in the United States calling someone “oriental” is considered politically incorrect and highly offensive at times. Here, “Asian” is a preferable term. At the same time, the United Kingdom uses “Asian” primarily to describe people from South Asia, while “oriental” or “Far Eastern” is used to describe people from East Asia.

Despite it being an offensive term to use when referring to people in the United States, “Oriental” is not generally considered offensive when it is describing material goods. For that reason, many people use the term “Oriental rugs” to describe the general style of many of the rugs on which this Web site is focused. We hope that this phrase does not offend any visitor to our site who comes across it within any of the articles we have included or while browsing any of the linked resources.

We also hope that this site is very informative in general, and that you will return again with any questions about Indian rugs which you may have in the future.

 

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