Diné (Navajo) Single Figure Yeibichai Dancer [R]

Harrison Begay was born in 1914 on the Navajo (Diné) Reservation. He attended the Santa Fe Indian School and studied under art teacher Dorothy Dunn. His distinctive style of painting has been popular for over 75 years. His art has influenced an entire generation of Native American painters.

The Yeibichai dance is part of an ancient healing ceremony that continues today and is a vital part of the traditional Diné lifestyle. In a world where the children play on computers and go away to colleges in other states, the Yeibichai and its blessings are a way to keep a connection to the past.

In this painting, Begay has captured the power and beauty of a single Diné Yeibichai dancer. Yeibichai appear during the final night of a Diné healing ceremony. As a group, they dance and sing in a line. Their efforts result in restoring balance and harmony to the patient. Here, a singular Yeibichai is shown carrying a fire stick in one hand and yucca leaves in another.

Begay includes many of the delightful details for which he is known. On either side of the dancer are a yucca plant and a chamissa plant.

This painting is not only beautiful, but a powerful reminder of the ability of the Diné to stay connected to the old ways while living in the twenty-first century. It is signed in lower left with the Diné name of the artist and on the right with his English name. The painting is matted and framed and ready to hang.

Condition:  the painting appears to be in original condition and the mat-board appears to be an acid-free one.  The painting has not been examined out of the frame.

Provenance: from a gentleman in Albuquerque

Recommended Reading:  Modern by Tradition: American Indian Painting in the Studio Style
by Bruce Bernstein, et al