Collection: Yei & Yeibechai Weavings

This style of weaving appeared first in the Shiprock, New Mexico area of the Navajo Reservation. The trader credited with developing the style was Wil Evans. He encouraged weavers to take figures from their ceremonial Sand Paintings and incorporate them into their weaving. The forward-facing Yei (Deities) were woven as single figures, or in rows. Later, cornstalks, feathers and a “Rainbow Guardian Yei,” figure which served as side and bottom borders began to appear. 

The Yeibichai was a natural evolution of the Yei Style. The Yeibichai is a ceremony held after the first frost in the fall and features dancers, dressed as Yeis, that essentially loan their bodies to the spirit of the Yeis. Yeibichai rugs generally depict the dancers from the side and in motion. 

The Lukachukai area, south of Shiprock, also was an early source of Yei weavings. The rugs from this area tended to be larger and the figures more massive in their presentation.