Sheep Tales Gathering

Weaving In Beauty Between The Earth And Sky - A Navajo Woman’s Life Journey As A Weaver

Keynote Presentation with:

TahNibaa Naataanii
Navajo/Diné Textile Artist and Weaver
2022 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow

Moderated by: Steven Hatcher, Folk & Traditional Arts Director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

Friday, October 6, 2023
The Argyros
120 Main Street South, Ketchum
7:00pm
$25.00

This year’s Sheep Tales Gathering will present TahNibaa Naataanii - an artist who creates with weavings and hand felting techniques to produce wearable art. As a young girl, TahNibaa's paternal grandmother gave her the Navajo name of: TahNibaa Atlo'iigii, which means "coming into battle with weaving." She believes it was her grandmother's hope that she continue the tradition of weaving in their family. She is now a fifth-generation Navajo Weaver and represents the Many Hogan Clan and Coyote Pass Clans, and her maternal and paternal clans are the Mexican and Steep Rock Clans.

TahNibaa's weaving journey began when she was seven years old and came home from school one day to find that her mother, Sarah H. Natani, had set up a loom for her and said, "Today you are going to learn how to weave." She wove actively throughout her teenage years into high school, starting out with simple designs and gradually then with more complex patterns. After high school, her weaving momentarily ceased when she joined the U.S. Navy. But after active duty, TahNibaa began weaving once again. This time it was different as she started experimenting with weaving patterns, each one liberating her creativity to step into another creative path. Today, she explores with color and design elements, while also ranching in Table Mesa, New Mexico, and raising her heritage breed sheep, the Navajo Churro. As a full-time weaver, mother, daughter, and soon to be grandmother, TahNibaa is honored to walk a similar path as her grandparents once did.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
As a fifth-generation Navajo weaver, I create as my ancestors did, using a traditional vertical Navajo loom. My weavings generally have two sheds to create the weave. I use similar weaving tools such as combs, battens, spindles and vegetal dye recipes that have been passed on to me from my mother and grandmother. I use the vertical interlock methods and diagonal stair step methods to create patterns in my work. I follow many of the Navajo weaving protocols which include having my tools blessed at a ceremony. Other protocols are never to finish a weaving at night and not handing items through the weaving loom.

My weavings are made from a combination of hand spun wool that I raise from my sheep which is a heritage breed called "Navajo Churro." The colors of the Navajo Churro are beautiful shades of natural colors of brown, gray, black, white and tan. I also use mill spun wool that is purchased at a store. Sometimes I incorporate other fibers such as silk, merino, feathers, leather and hemp. My weaving designs range from early traditional patterns such as the Shoulder Blankets, to pictorial images of trains to contemporary patterns showing movement. My weavings also have texture interwoven into the designs, incorporating a slight 2-D relief in the texture. I have developed a special weaving that I call "TahNibaa Shawl" which includes a unique shape with fringes adorning the bottom edge of the weaving.

I am a weaver because I immensely enjoy working with my hands and the fiber, creating different patterns and textures. I sometimes include symbols that remind us of the migrations of man. I create some weavings that tell a historical event such as the significance of the famous "Navajo Code Talkers." I am influenced by my surroundings, by the sunrise, the landscapes, my dreams, my community and my family heritage of weavers. When I weave, I feel the presence of my grandmothers.

NOTE: On-line ticket sales for this event end at 12:00 noon on Friday, October 6.  After that time, and if not sold out, please plan to buy your tickets at the door of The Argyros starting at 6:00pm on show night.  Thank you!

SPECIAL NOTE: Please review current COVID venue policies before visiting The Argyros, which can be found here.

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MODERATOR: Steven Hatcher

Folk & Traditional Arts Director, Idaho Commission on the Arts

Steven Hatcher is the state folklorist and director of the Folk and Traditional Arts Program at the Idaho Commission on the Arts. A public sector folklorist with 21 years of experience, Steven spent a decade living in four countries and on as many continents. Overseas, his experience focused on the educational side of public folklore through contract positions awarded by the State Department and as an expatriate hired in the local economy. Prior to life overseas, he cut his teeth at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada, where he was an archives assistant and worked on the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. At the Idaho Commission on the Arts, Steven documents, supports, and celebrates the folklife of Idaho through public programs and grant funding. He has a M.A. in American Studies from Utah State University and a B.A. in English from the University of Utah.

Sponsored By:

REFUND POLICY: Refunds are available until 5:00pm on September 15, 2023. A $10.00 fee will be assessed and only the ticket cost (but no original processing fees) will be refunded. Thank you.