I acquired this pair of rugs in the early '70s from my aunt. I was 14 at the time and it didn't occur to me to ask a lot of questions about the rugs. But I do have a vague recollection of her telling me that they were from the Dakotas. I have stored them mostly since I got them, so are in more or less the same condition that they were when I received them. I believe they are made of horse hair. Burning one of the coarse strands smells of burnt hair. There is clearly a lot of intentional detail in the design, but I can only guess at what some of the symbols mean. I have looked on line and in books but have never seen anything that looks similar. There is some damage to the larger rug, as you can see in the photo. There is also some staining. The smaller rug is in very good condition.

My aunt, who lived on Camano Island in WA State gave it to me in the '70s.