Nikyle Begay Revives Historic Diné Twill Weaving Through Sheep Breeding and Cultural Reclamation
In Sunrise Springs, Arizona, Nikyle Begay, a Diné shepherd, weaver, and educator, is bringing back traditional weaving methods that were stifled by colonial economic pressures. Their emphasis lies on intricate twill designs that have been historically utilized for saddle blankets. Begay, who began learning the craft from their grandmother, Maggie Lee Begay, at the age of seven, has navigated gender norms throughout their journey. Together with Kelli Dunaj, they co-founded the Rainbow Fiber Co-Op from 2021 to 2024, successfully raising $70,000 in its inaugural week to aid Navajo Churro sheep shepherds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Begay’s creations are showcased in museums and practical settings, underscoring their importance as a culture bearer while exploring queer Diné identity and researching pre-1860s textiles to recreate designs from historical images and community drawings.
Key facts
- Nikyle Begay is a Diné shepherd, weaver, and teacher based in Sunrise Springs, Arizona within the Navajo Nation
- Begay specializes in reviving complex twill weaving techniques used for saddle blankets that were marginalized by trading posts
- They learned weaving from their paternal grandmother Maggie Lee Begay around age seven, overcoming gender binaries
- From 2021-2024, Begay co-founded the Rainbow Fiber Co-Op, raising $70,000 in its first week to support Navajo Churro shepherds
- Their breeding practices target natural wool colors to avoid dyeing, incorporating recessive color patterns into designs
- Begay's work appears in museum exhibitions like "Smoke in Our Hair" at the Hudson River Museum and functional contexts on horses
- Their grandmother buried their umbilical cord in the sheep corral with prayers they would maintain the family's weaving legacy
- Begay addresses queer Diné identity through traditional stories about intersex and trans figures in Navajo creation narratives
Entities
Artists
- Nikyle Begay
- Maggie Lee Begay
- Mary Alice Yazzie
- Moonoka Begay
- Zach Feuer
- Kelli Dunaj
- J.B. Moore
Institutions
- Hudson River Museum
- Rainbow Fiber Co-Op
- 4KINSHIP
- One Earth
- Fibershed
- Vivo Barefoot
- First Nations Development Institute
- Mora Valley Spinning Mill
- Hubbell Trading Post
- Sunrise Trading Post
- Sheep Is Life
- Fort Sumner
Locations
- Sunrise Springs
- Arizona
- United States
- Navajo Nation
- Naabeehó Bináhásdzo
- Marshall
- California
- New Mexico
- New York City
- Chicago