1930s Navajo Yei Weaving

Handwoven Navajo wool Yei pictorial weaving, circa 1930s, featuring a dramatic horizontal composition of female Yei figures against a rich red field. The Yeis are shown with square or rectangular heads, identifying them as female figures.

Interspersed throughout the composition are Dhontsos, or winged messenger figures, traditionally associated with carrying prayers to the Holy People and the heavens. Bows, arrows, feathers, and other ceremonial elements are woven between the figures, creating an unusually detailed and animated composition.

A Rainbow Guardian frames the scene along the lower and side edges. At one end, the Guardian appears to be holding a moon, an especially unusual element that we have not encountered in other Yei weavings and one of the most distinctive details in this piece.

The weaving is executed in handspun wool with aniline-dyed yarns, with a saturated red field accented by black, white, orange, green, gray, and brown. Its large horizontal format and abundance of figural and ceremonial imagery make it an exceptional early Yei pictorial.

96” (8') Width, 46” (3' 10”) Height