Navajo Pictorial Textile with Female Ye’ii Faces [SOLD]

This is a fascinating Navajo textile that blends classic geometric regional design elements with early pictorial features. A square Ye'ii face is woven into each of the four corners. 

In Navajo (Diné) spiritual tradition, Ye'ii represent holy spirits or deities who act as intermediaries between humans and the creator. These faces are rendered very traditionally as simplified squares with basic features (eyes and mouth). Interestingly, each square face is attached to a stylized arrow or feather element pointing inward toward the central pattern.

Full-scale Ye'ii weavings (where entire figures stand in a row) became highly popular commercial items in the early 20th century, particularly around the Shiprock and Lukachukai areas. However, placing just the heads or faces of Yei in the corners of an otherwise strictly geometric rug is an earlier, transitional design approach often seen in late 19th to early 20th-century textiles.

Central Geometric Elements

The body of the rug is dominated by bold, dynamic geometric patterns. A prominent elongated diamond structure, reminiscent of the central diamond on Northern Mexican and New Mexican Saltillo textiles, is a highlight of the weaving. In the dead center of the rug, there are two floating arrow fletchings. Combined with the arrows attached to the Ye'ii heads, these point to a thematic focus on protection, movement, or the sacred bow-and-arrow motifs found in ceremonial sandpaintings.

The Borders: The inner border features a vibrant, sharply zig-zagged frame in bright orange against a natural grey field, bounded by a dark brown outer edge.

The color palette relies heavily on a mix of natural and dyed wools. The background is a beautifully variegated natural carded grey. The deep reds, stark whites, and bright oranges are indicative of aniline-dyed yarns during the rug-weaving boom.

The weave has a rustic, hand-spun texture, showcasing the organic character of the wool and the weaver's individual choices.

This rug is a wonderful example of a pictorial-geometric hybrid. Rather than weaving a literal pictorial scene or a pure geometric pattern, the weaver beautifully integrated powerful sacred symbols (the Ye'ii faces) into a classic geometric landscape, making it a highly collectible and historically expressive piece of Diné weaving.

Condition: good condition with some fraying of the borders

Provenance: this Navajo Pictorial Textile with Female Ye'ii Faces is from the collection of a client from California.

Recommended Reading: Weaving of the Southwest by Marian Rodee. Schiffer Publishing. 1987

TAGS: Textiles, Navajo Nation