In the Park's Permanent Collection

Weaving – Ye’ii pattern  artist: unknown  Navajo

Gift of the Estate of Agnes T. and Don L. Smith

Dimensions H: 27”  W: 37”

98.1.79 (S#R18)

Navajo weavings have traditionally been made to keep people warm, to protect and cover, and in some cases, to help transport items. They are a very versatile and useful craft and the Navajo have long been masters at creating quality weavings. Early blankets were so densely woven that they were waterproof. This became invaluable to many people in contact with the Navajo, and they could sell their blankets for a small fortune. Before tourists became interested in their use as durable rugs, the patterns were simple and all dyes came from plants and minerals. Since the late 1800’s though, textile weaving has become a highly successful tourist industry. Weaving is still an important part of Navajo culture and economy.

Weaving may have been taught to the Navajo by the Pueblo people, whom they had close contact. In fact, in the late 1500’s, many Pueblo families came to Navajo territory to escape conflicts with the Spanish. Navajo women wove the blankets on an upright loom, a large wooden structure which held the warp, or the stationary fibers, stable and would allow both hands to work on weaving the pattern. Aniline, or commercial, dyes were first synthesized in the 1850’s. The natural dyes drawn from plants, animals and minerals produced colors that could be very vivid, and therefore the identification of aniline dyes on a rug is reduced to an educated guess.

This rug is a sandpainting-type design. The vivid colors suggest the use of aniline dyes. This rug pattern is inspired by the stylized figures of the Ye’ii. These are the Holy People represented in Navajo sand paintings, the compositions that medicine men ‘paint’ on the ground with colored sand during curing ceremonies. Sandpainting images are destroyed the same day that they are created. In the beginning, many felt that the representation of these figures in a permanent state was dangerous and even sacrilegious, but a few artists began to weave them in the 1800’s and the tradition continues today.

Ye’ii rugs are very popular due to their symbolic content. There is no religious content to this piece, to maintain Navajo privacy, but they do carry a spiritual theme. Ye’ii rugs are known to be handspun, synthetic-dyed, and usually coarse. The background is neutral, and figures are confined within the dark border. The Ye’ii figures in this rug are long and thin, front-facing figures that have healing powers. Male Ye’iis hold a rattle in one hand and crooked lightning in the other, while a female holds a rattle and an evergreen bough. There are two Ye’ii in the middle of the rug and surrounding them on three sides is the Rainbow Ye’ii, which is open on  the side meant to face east. East is a sacred direction and must be left unprotected by the Rainbow Ye’ii. Between and around the Ye’iis are stalks of two sacred plants: corn and tobacco. Because of the corn images, this rug may represent the Blessing Way , a rug pattern based on a ceremony intended for blessing others with a long and good life.  The solid border and background are typical of the rugs woven in the Northern Arizona areas of Lukachukai, Round Rock, and Upper Greasewood.

Corn was a food staple for daily life. It was an important part of the Native American diet. It is known as one of the most versatile foods and can be grown in almost every state in America .  In our Park we grow food such as onions and squash, and in the summer you can find corn in the Ethnobotanical Garden , or in the metal stock tanks in the Education Center gardens.

This textile was bought by Don and Agnes Smith in 1974. They were great collectors of Southwestern art, especially Native American basketry, and had strong connections to southern Arizona . Upon their deaths, they bequeathed their collection with many wonderful items to the Park. This piece originates from the Four Corners Region.

Kent, Kate Peck. “Navajo Weavings: Three Centuries of Change.” Santa Fe ; School of American Research Press, 1985

Hawke, Sharryl Davis, and Davis, James E. Seeds of Change: The Story of Cultural Exchange after 1492. New York : Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1992

Irving, David Stancil. Common Threads: Textiles of the Americas . Arvada :The Arvada Center For The Arts and Humanities, 1993