Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 2013-0003-0031   CAS 2013-0003-0031; Rug
Category Textiles
Object Name Rug
Culture Navajo
Global Region North America
Country USA
State/Prov./Dist. Arizona
County Apache
Other Geographic Data Navajo Indian Reservation; Community: Many Farms
Maker's Name Elizabeth Yazzie (b. 1947)
Date of Manufacture ca. 1990
Collection Name Donaldson
Materials Warp: Single ply handspun natural wool; Weft: Single ply handspun and commercial natural and dyed wool; Aniline dyes
Description Rectangular rug woven entirely in plain weft-faced tapestry technique with non-interlocking joins; Pictorial design depicts a night time Navajo yeibichai dance, featuring a row of four male and four female yeibichai dancers, led by Hastseyalti (Talking God) and Tone’nili, all facing a seated female patient; In the foreground are four hitched wagons, two hogans, a brush shelter wherein two women are preparing frybread, and several rows of seated and standing men and women watching the dancers; To the left of the dancers is another hogan and in the background are more spectators, three additional wagons, and two unhitched horses; Blue hills and brown buttes are silhouetted against a gray night sky filled with white stars; A straight-edged dark brown border frames the rug along all four edges; Single-yarn gray “spirit line” extends across border from night sky in upper left corner of rug; Weaver’s initials (“E.Y”) are woven into the lower left corner of the border; Selvage and end cords are dark brown.
Dimensions (cm) Width = 112.8, Length = 98.0