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Shadow - Navajo Yei Figure
This handcrafted figure is a "shadow" wall hanging
Yei is actually the abbreviated word for the mythical holy figure in Navajo mythology known as YeiBeiChei. There are many
Yeis each possessing different healing powers. The female is depicted with a square head, the male with a round head. It is during healing ceremonies or .sings" that the Yeis do their most important work. The
medicine man etches images of the Yeis into the sand on the floor of the sick person's hogan. The ailing individual then sits upon this site and the illness is drawn out of the body into the sand. The
medicine man removes the illness permanently from the dwelling as he scoops the sand and tosses it into the four directions of the wind.
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