Navajo Indian
Rug
w/ Masonic
Symbolism
This lovely rug is Navajo Indian
and has a Masonic Square and Compasses in the middle, and a fylfot / swastika
on either side. It also has the Navaho sign for peace on the outer ends.
It was probably made for the tourist trade. It dates from the 1920’s or
1930’s and measures 61 inches long by 22½ inches across.
The fylfot is an
ancient symbol well known in the science of coats of arms and the other
details of heraldry. It is sometimes known as the cruz dissimulata,
found in the catacombs of Rome, and forms one of the symbols of the Degrees of
Prince of Mercy, Scottish Rite system. It is a form of the Swastika.
This symbol is also called the Jaina Cross and is used by several
Orders. It is found in the abbeys of Great Britain and on the monuments of
India. Its significations are many. This cross was adopted by the
Jainas, a heterodox sect of the Hindu's, who dissent from Brahmanism and deny
the Vedas, and whose adherents are found in every province of Upper
Hindustan. They are wealthy and influential, and form an important
division of the population of India. This symbol is also known as the fylfot
or swastika. It is a religious symbol mentioned by Weaver in his Funeral
Monuments, by Dr. H. Schliemann as having been found in the presumed ruins
of Troy, by De Rossi and others in the catacombs of Christian Rome, and there
termed the Cruz dissimulata, or concealed cross. It has
been found on almost every enduring monument on the globe, of all ages, and in
both hemispheres.
