Dancers of the Nightway

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Visit our gallery to view our latest exhibit, a collection of Navajo weavings featuring ceremonial dancers. These textiles, dating from the first half of the twentieth century, feature the Yeibichai dance of the Nightway ceremony.

Note that this exhibit coincides with a new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts entitled Collecting Stories: Native American Art, which runs from April 14, 2018, to March 10, 2019. For more information, visit: http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/collecting-stories-native-american-art

About Navajo weavings:

All Navajo textiles are handwoven on upright looms. Prior to 1860, Navajo women wove fine wearing blankets for their families and for trade with other Native American tribes. With the advent of the railroad in 1880 and the arrival of traders and tourists in the Southwest, Navajo women began weaving blankets and rugs for an Anglo clientele. Most of these textiles featured geometric patterns. Weavings depicting aspects of the Navajo spiritual and ceremonial life, such as the Yeibichai dance, are much rarer.

About Rebecca and Jean-Paul Valette

Rebecca Valette grew up in Boulder, Colorado, in a home decorated with traditional Navajo rugs. Her husband Jean-Paul discovered the beauty of these weavings while the two were studying for their PhDs at the University of Colorado. Over the past forty years, they have assembled the finest collection of Navajo weavings with ceremonial themes. They have published their research findings in books and articles and have also curated several museum exhibits of their weavings.

About Shelly C. Lowe

Shelly C. Lowe is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She grew up in Ganado, Arizona, in the heart of the Navajo Reservation. She has worked at the Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado and at Bahti Indian Arts in Tucson, Arizona. Before coming to Harvard University, she was Assistant Dean for Native American Affairs at Yale University. She is currently a member of the National Council on the Humanities and is a former trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian.

About Navajo Weavings with Ceremonial Themes

Featuring more than 500 photos and maps, this new book by the Valettes is the first comprehensive history of Navajo weavings with imagery inspired by tribal sacred practices. These textiles never served a ceremonial function. They were created by Navajo women at the instigation of Anglo traders, for sale to wealthy collectors willing to pay premium prices for their perceived spiritual symbolism. This book describes the historical and artistic development of the genre from its controversial emergence through a contemporary search for innovative patterns.

About Weaving the Dance

This Valette book, published in conjunction with an exhibit several years ago at the Museum of our National Heritage in Lexington, describes the early development of a special category of Navajo textiles known as Yeibichai weavings. These weavings are artistic interpretations of the Yeibichai dance, a sacred rite that provides a spectacular conclusion to the nine-day Navajo ceremony known as the Nightway.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, our series is tailored to provide a deeper understanding of French wines, refine your wine-tasting skills and vocabulary, and foster confidence in conversations, selections, and pairings. We will provide you with an authentic French perspective and access to a splendid array of quality wines.

Intimate Cooking Class with Chef Lamia: Moroccan Mezze & Market

GASTRONOMY & WINE PROGRAM: YOUR FRENCH CULINARY ARTS AND WINE JOURNEY

Thursday, July 30, 2026

The French Library is delighted to present this cooking class from our Gastronomy & Wine program. Guided by excellence, this program is designed to educate you in the fine art of cooking and flavors.

Wine Seminar: The Best of French Summertime Wines

GASTRONOMY & WINE PROGRAM: YOUR FRENCH CULINARY ARTS AND WINE JOURNEY

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An elegant wine education series exploring France’s most important regions through the lens of culture, tradition, and taste. Each class embraces a region and incorporates a book as a narrative guide - framing the wines, places, and people that shaped France’s enduring wine culture. Across the series, we’ll move through key French regions in a cohesive tasting journey, offering both seasoned enthusiasts and curious newcomers a deeper, more intuitive understanding of French wine, guided by storytelling, expert insight, and shared conversation.

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