Name/Title
Weaving the dance : Navajo Yeibichai textiles (1910-1950)Entry/Object ID
E99.N3.V35Description
Weaving the Dance is the first book to focus on the early development of a special category of twentieth-century Navajo textiles known as Yeibichai weavings. These weavings are artistic interpretations of the Yeibichai dance, a sacred rite that provides a spectacular conclusion to the nine-day Navajo ceremony known as the Nightway. In spite of their theme, Yeibichai textiles were never intended for ceremonial use, but were produced exclusively for sale to an Anglo clientele willing to pay premium prices for them. Like other textiles featuring ceremonial figures, their appearance in the first decade of the twentieth century nevertheless created controversy among Navajos since traditional beliefs strongly prohibit the reproduction of sacred figures outside a ceremonal context. By the 1930s, scholars were dismissing these novel weavings as bad examples of tourist art and writing them off as a "passing fad." Despite this dire prediction, weaving with ceremonial figures continued to be produced and now constitute a recognized and well-established category of Navajo textiles.Collection
Carol Westfall CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
carol westfall collection, navajo textile fabricsBook Details
Author
Rebecca M. Valette, Jean-Paul ValettePublisher
Adobe Gallery/University of Washington PressDate Published
2000Call No.
E99.N3.V35ISBN
963371029, 9780963371027LCCN
32780Notes
Length: 72