Vintage Native American Navajo Yei Bi Chai Rug
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:24668868 | Featured Refinements: Native American Rug |
A vintage Navajo Yei weaving.45 1/4” x 33 1/2”Excellent condition!
Yeibichai
The Navajo are a deeply spiritual people. Thus, manyacts of their lives contain a sacred dimension andthese acts must be performed in a specific way tomaintain the balance and the harmony between the selfand the other elements of a complex universe. Theuniverse includes animals, plants, weather, naturalearth formations, and celestial objects besidespeople. The universe includes other beings anddivin...ities, generally known as the Holy People.
The Holy People came to the surface of the earth fromits various depths and they reshaped the surface tomake it suitable for living beings. Later, the Navajowere created in the image of the Holy People, and weretaught a code of behavior and survival skills to allowthem to live in harmony with the rest of the universe. The Navajo learned that harmony brings about health, beauty and other blessings. The disruption of harmonycauses a large range of illness: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. In order to reversedisruption and reestablish harmony, there is anelaborate system of ceremonies closely supervised bytrained medicine men.
The Nightway ceremony is a major curative ceremonywhich restores harmony. It invokes the Yeis, aspecial category of Holy People who are inclined tohelp the Navajo. A nine day ceremony, it isperformed during the cold months when there is nochance of being hit by lightning and when the snakesare hibernating.
During ceremony, a team will be composed of fourteendancers: the leader Yeibichai - the Talking God, sixmale dancers, six women dancers, and finally, theWater Sprinkler - the God of Precipitated Waters. Onthe final night, teams of dancers appear in public inwhat is referred to as the Yeibichai Dance until justbefore dawn. The ceremony ends with the chanting ofthe "Bluebird Song" which celebrates the happinessand the peace that the bluebird symbolizes.
The Yeibichai weavings are highly individual
Yeibichai
The Navajo are a deeply spiritual people. Thus, manyacts of their lives contain a sacred dimension andthese acts must be performed in a specific way tomaintain the balance and the harmony between the selfand the other elements of a complex universe. Theuniverse includes animals, plants, weather, naturalearth formations, and celestial objects besidespeople. The universe includes other beings anddivin...ities, generally known as the Holy People.
The Holy People came to the surface of the earth fromits various depths and they reshaped the surface tomake it suitable for living beings. Later, the Navajowere created in the image of the Holy People, and weretaught a code of behavior and survival skills to allowthem to live in harmony with the rest of the universe. The Navajo learned that harmony brings about health, beauty and other blessings. The disruption of harmonycauses a large range of illness: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. In order to reversedisruption and reestablish harmony, there is anelaborate system of ceremonies closely supervised bytrained medicine men.
The Nightway ceremony is a major curative ceremonywhich restores harmony. It invokes the Yeis, aspecial category of Holy People who are inclined tohelp the Navajo. A nine day ceremony, it isperformed during the cold months when there is nochance of being hit by lightning and when the snakesare hibernating.
During ceremony, a team will be composed of fourteendancers: the leader Yeibichai - the Talking God, sixmale dancers, six women dancers, and finally, theWater Sprinkler - the God of Precipitated Waters. Onthe final night, teams of dancers appear in public inwhat is referred to as the Yeibichai Dance until justbefore dawn. The ceremony ends with the chanting ofthe "Bluebird Song" which celebrates the happinessand the peace that the bluebird symbolizes.
The Yeibichai weavings are highly individual
