Unlike many Navajo weavers of old, Nellie Begay is accomplished at creating multiple styles. She has been a fixture and a ribbon winner at the Santa Fe Indian Market, where she has sold most of her work in recent years.
Weavers who want to exhibit at a show like the Indian Market or the Heard Museum Fair face challenges because weaving a rug takes longer than making a bracelet or a pot. You also need a good selection of weavings, yours and those of family members, to pay for a booth and the expenses to make it worthwhile.
Nellie Begay is one of the few weavers who has consistently shown in Santa Fe and is very much admired. She lives at Lake Valley, about halfway between Farmington and I-40 on the Veteran's Memorial Highway (NM 371) that goes through Crownpoint.
It's called Lake Valley because there used to be a natural lake and spring that is now dried up. Lake Valley was an anticipated stop between Farmington and Crownpoint in the stagecoach days. It has a striking natural beauty. In recent years, several community members have tried to promote the area to tourists as a great hiking spot with beautiful red rocks and views. Much of the Navajo Nation boasts these spectacular areas as beautiful as many national parks.
Nellie raises her own sheep and colors much of her wool with plant dyes. Sharing a common concern among weavers, she laments that it is hard to find animals with brown wool. Sheepdogs are on guard, looking for coyotes, and accompany the sheep as they forage. The family maintains a traditional hogan in addition to her home. The vistas are beautiful, and while most people would say they are isolated, she wouldn't live anywhere else.
The next time you travel north or south, between the Farmington/Shiprock area and Gallup, try taking Highway 371. You will enjoy the ride.
For Nellie Begay, the Market weekend in Santa Fe is the highlight of her year. Few people get a chance to buy her rugs other than at Market, but we have been lucky to obtain several excellent weavings. Two are woven with vegetal dyes; the others are recreations of antique blanket designs, including an incredible Second Phase blanket. The Second Phase was made over 20 years ago and was in the collection of Cristof's Gallery in Santa Fe.
