Biil (Rug Dress) (Diné)
Maker Once Known, Diné (Navajo) People (New Mexico, United States)
Biil (Rug Dress) (20th century)
wool (handspun merino mix with synthetic selvage)
106.0 x 65.0 cm
Purchased, Haffenreffer Special Fund
83-75
This is a traditional Diné (Navajo) dress style called a biil (pronounced beel) or rug dress, a style common from the 19th century prior to the Long Walk, the removal of Diné (Navajo) people from their homelands by the United States Army in the 1860s. The form revived in the 20th century, and is an important signifier of cultural heritage worn by Diné (Navajo) women at important events, like graduations. In her site on Navajo weaving, Mary Walker shared some insight about the history and importance of the biil:
Mary also emphasizes the time it takes to make a biil, as it often takes 12-18 months for a weaver today to create these weavings as they use such fine wool and silk fibers."It developed from items of Pueblo clothing, from even more historic Navajo clothing and the wool fiber that the Navajos were so proficient at using. The spinning skills possessed by the weavers in those days were astounding and their access to excellent wool was superior to anything that most of us have today. They would sort the wool from the dual coated to Navajo-Churro sheep, using the finest of it to spin yarn that Armani and Versace would drool over. This yarn would be woven into blankets and clothing that would be used and repaired until it could be used no more. Like today’s biil, these older weavings were simple, often with only one or two bands of patterning in an otherwise plain weave." - Mary Walker
Biils are usually comprised of two identical rectangular panels of finely woven textile, which are sewn together at the shoulders and waist. This piece in our collection is no exception, but dates from the 20th century and is formed from woven panels with a heavier weight than is typical.
We were fortunate to be visited by Tyrrell Tapaha (Diné) and Sháńdíín Brown (Diné) during the course of this project, and together with our Head Curator, Thierry Gentis, they examined this biil. As noted by Thierry, "This is a very strange textile," because of the weight and stiff texture of the dress panels. Tyrrell, who is a sixth-generation Diné weaver and churro sheepherder, noted the fibers comprising the dress included synthetic yarn on the selvage while the remainder was handspun yarn. The brown section is churro wool, and shows some of the natural mottling in color characteristic of this variety of sheep's wool. They also determined that the other sections are likely a churro-merino mix, and were dyed, likely using synthetic (red) and acid (purple) dyes. While this may have been a replica piece or intended for a market outside Diné (Navajo) communities, this biil or rug dress still shows an important form of Diné (Navajo) dress, past and present.
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- Clothing - Wearable Art Jessica Nelson
- Decorative Techniques from Around the World Jessica Nelson