Yeibichai Mask
The yeibichai masks of the Navajo are painted buckskin masks worn by dancers in the Nightway, the great nine-night healing ceremony, so that the wearer may embody a Holy Person, or ye'i, such as Talking God (Yeibichai) or Water Sprinkler. Made anew for each ceremony under strict rules and handled only by initiated singers and dancers, the masks carry the facial markings, colours and headgear that identify each Holy Person to the community. The Nightway chants invoke the blessing of the Holy People and call on Changing Woman, the great female deity of Navajo tradition, and the other powers of t