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~ Navajo Weavers ~
Please note that the biographical information provided below is from a variety of sources, including our personal knowledge. Two notable sources include: American Indian Arts Series Volume 3, "American Indian Textiles, 2,000 Biographies," a book from CIAC Press by Gregory Schaaf, Ph.D. with assistance by Angie Yan Schaaf; and "The Weavers Way, Navajo Profiles," a book by Carter & Dodie Allen (see link below).

Baloo, Lucinda
Lucinda Baloo was born in 1962, in Mariano Lake, NM and now resides in Chambers, Arizona. She has three sisters and five brothers. Her maternal clan is Ta'baha, and her paternal clan is Chishi'. Because Lucinda is left-handed her mother found it too difficult to teach her how to weave when she was a girl. Some years later, her mother-in-law, Alice Baloo, taught her to weave and she put her first rug up when she was 25. Lucinda weaves Chinle/Wide Ruins, Ganado, Klagetoh, and Chief style rugs as a hobby though she takes weaving very seriously and as I've heard many Navajo weavers say, as a way to stay connected to her cultural heritage. She also teaches Navajo weaving at a local college. Lucinda is married and has five children.

Begay, Elizabeth
Born in 1969, Elizabeth lives North of Window Rock AZ. She is the daughter of Nellie Tsosie and has been weaving since the 1980's. She is known for her Crystal and Ganado Miniatures, Pictorials, Classic Revival, and Third Phase Chief patterns. Her work has been published in at least four publications.

Begay, Ella Mae
A resident of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, Ella Mae Begay was born in 1958 or 1965, according to the American Indian Art Series, Volume 3, "American Indian Textiles," by Gregory Schaaf. She's the daughter of Alice Curley, an accomplished weaver and mother of Charlotte Begay and Joanne Begay. Specializing in Pictorial rugs her primary themes are Reservation Pictorials and Christmas Pictorials. Her favorite designs are Santa Claus, Rudolf, Christmas trees, and Navajo landscapes, horses, hogans, mesa and clouds. Her work has been pictured in numerous publications dating back to 1976.

Bia, Elouise
Specializing in miniature rugs in many regional styles, Elouise was born in 1954, and has been actively weaving since the 1960's. She also weaves Two Grey Hills and Ye'ii Bicheii patterns. She is the daughter of Betty and Kee Bia, who were both weavers and who collaborated on weavings; niece of Della Woody; and the sister of Lula Bia Brown. She won the First Place award at the Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, NM for miniature textiles in 1995. Elouise lives in the Crystal, New Mexico area of the Navajo Nation, north of Window Rock.

Bia, Rose Linda
Rose Linda Bia was born in 1975. She is one of six daughters of Susie Bia, all of whom are weavers. The family lives in the Spider Rock area of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. Susie Bia specialized in weaving vegetal dyed Yei rugs, but all of the daughters favor Burntwater weavings. Each daughter has the word "Rose" as a part of their name.

Brown, Lula Bia
This well-known and popular Navajo weaver, specializes in miniature rugs in many regional styles as well as revival designs and has been actively weaving since the 1960's. Other styles she weaves include Classic Revival, Pictorial,Ye'ii, Raised Outline, and Storm Pattern. She is the daughter of Betty and Kee Bia, who were both weavers and who collaborated on weavings, and wife of Herman Brown who also weaves miniature rugs. She has twice taken First Place awards at the Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, NM and her weavings have been featured in numerous publications. Born in 1950, Lula resides in the Crystal, New Mexico area of the Navajo Nation, north of Window Rock. Lula learned to weave from her Aunt Della Woody and her mother Betty Bia. One of her sisters, Elouise Bia, also weaves miniatures.

Brown, Violet
An award winning weaver from Newcomb, NM, Violet Brown weaves the traditional regional style of her area. She took second place at the Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, NM in 1999 and won First Place there in 2000. Born in 1940, she has been an active weaver from the 1950's to present. She weaves with hand carded, homespun, natural colored wool for her Toadlena/Two Grey Hills style rugs.

Curley, Cecilia


Residing in the Teec Nos Pos area of Navajo Nation, Cecilia who was born in 1960, has been weaving since the 1970's. She specializes in Pictorials, especially Navajo Landscapes. Her favorite designs are elements of daily living such as cows, sheep, hogans, vans and pickup trucks, and moutnains, clouds, fences. She also like placing 19th century trains in her landscape scenes. Her weavings are very well made and most enjoyable to look at and into.

Hollie, Irene


Irene was born April 24, 1959, the daughter of Nellie Tom, and is married to Ralph Hollie, She has three sons and a daughter. Irene has been weaving since the 1970's and resides in the Four Corners area. Her mother and grandmothers, Alice Thomas and Mary Poyer greatly influenced Irene's style and technique. Her sisters and sisters-in-law are all skilled weavers. Irene's use of color and the depth achieved in her textiles is remarkable.

James, Elizabeth (Liz)
Liz was born in the early 1960's and raised in Tsaile, 24 miles Northeast of Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Nation Reservation. She was taught to weave when she was in her late twenties, by a paternal cousin, although she has been influenced by her mother Hazel James, who is also a weaver. Both are actively weaving. Liz specializes in Storm, Hubbell Revival, and Chinle pattern rugs. Hazel weaves Eye Dazzler and Chinle patterns.

Jones, Lisa
Lisa Jones, born is 1974, is a Navajo weaver from the Chinle, AZ area. Weaving since the 1990's, she specializes in bird pictorials and tends towards using softer pastel colors. Married with two daughters, Lisa learned to weave from her mother.

Largo, Gloria


Gloria Largo is a weaver from Northwestern New Mexico who weaves the "Rug within a Rug" pattern (pictured at left), that has a Storm pattern woven inside the main rug. Gloria says she dyes her own yarn using vegetal materials to achieve the pastel shades in her weavings.

Mark, Roselyn
Roselyn Mark lives in Northwestern New Mexico in the Shiprock/Farmington area and weaves many small sized Ye'ii rugs, as well as some small sized pictorial weavings.

Roan, Anna

Six, Veronica
Veronica was born in 1966 and raised in Gallup, NM, one of eight children. Her first exposure to weaving occurred at Fort Wingate High School. Her mother-in-law, Bah Yazzie Ashley an award winning and still active weaver, encouraged Veronica to weave at age 22. She has five children.

Whitesheep, Trudy
This Navajo weaver specializes in Ye'ii and Storm patterns. Trudy was born in 1968, and resides in the Northeast corner of Arizona, along the New Mexico border. She has been actively weaving since the 1980's.

Whitney, Cara
Born in 1958, Cara has been weaving since the 1960's and weaves Burntwater, Wide Ruins, and various regional styles, often weaving rugs over 7 feet long. Her weavings have been featured in several publications. She resides in the Four Corners area of the Navajo Reservation.

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