1920s Navajo Yei-be-chai Weaving
Tribe: Navajo (Diné)
Item #WA01062
Circa 1920s Navajo Yei-be-chai Weaving in handspun wool with aniline dyes, showing six Yei-be-chai dancers on a natural grey ground. Each figure wears a twin-feather headdress, a braided necklace and a bright tunic in orange, red, brown or green over a patterned kilt, with striped leggings and red moccasins. Several hold small orange rattles. The field is framed by a light brown inner border, a cream band and dark brown outer stripes, finished with red edges and corner tassels.
Yei-be-chai weavings are generally understood to show the dancers of the Nightway, a winter healing ceremony in which dancers represent the Yei, or Holy People. Navajo weavers began adapting these figures for the trade market in the early 20th century, depicting them in a form meant for display rather than ceremony.
53” (4’ 5”) Width, 34” (2’ 10”) Length
- Era
- Circa 1920s
- Dyes
- Aniline Dyes
- Wool
- Handspun
From our Vintage Collection
Our vintage pieces are sourced from private collections. Whenever possible we identify the artist, tribe and approximate date, and any wear that comes with age is part of each piece’s story. Most of our antique Navajo weavings date from the 1870s to the 1940s.
See all antique Navajo weavings →Family owned in Sedona since 1976
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