ELEVATION:  4903'

POST OFFICE ESTABLISHED:   1904

Location:  The town of Shiprock is located on the San Juan River in extreme northwestern New Mexico.  Its present name is derived from a volcanic neck called Shiprock, a towering igneous mass that dominates the landscape, 10 miles southwest of the town.  In Navajo mythology the majestic rock is called Tse Bit'a'i, meaning "rock with wings," or "winged rock."

The first superintendent of the Shiprock Agency was W.T. Shelton.  In 1909 he conceived the idea of holding Navajo fairs, inviting not only Indians, but traders as well, to display their extensive exhibits of Navajo craftsmanship.  The Shiprock conclaves, held annually the first week of October, were a great success. The principal theme was the presentation of rugs and silversmithing for which prizes were awarded.

In the 1912 fair, over 400 pieces of weaving were displayed.  Publicity received for the Indian through the Shiprock fairs proved an invaluable asset.

THE RUG:  The Shiprock rug type is called a Yei (pronounced "yea").  It was developed by Will Evans around the World War I period from stylized sandpaintings.  The Yei is a colorful piece that depicts religious figures, but has no religious significance.  The rug is usually of small to moderate size, carrying bright colored, slender, front-facing figures surrounded by, in most cases, a red and blue figured rainbow goddess that serves as a border down the sides and across the bottom.  Additional designs usually include interspacings of cornstalks and arrows.  Backgrounds are usually of white or light tan, with lesser amounts of dark and blends of light gray.  The rug is finely-woven, with a growing use of more commercial yarn.  The Yei usually lends itself as a wall hanging in the same manner as a fine painting.

Another rug woven in the Shiprock area is the Yeibechai.  Similar in size, gay colors, and commercial yarn to the Yei, the Yeibechai is a bordered rug (sometimes incorporating a design), that illustrates native dancers, usually in profile, impersonating the Yei figures.

Source:  Posts and Rugs, The Story of Navajo Rugs and Their Homes, by H. L. James, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Third Printing 1979; Copyright 1976 by Southwest Parks and Monuments Association. (Pages 31, 32, 33)