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Tyrrell Tapaha

@tyrrelltapaha

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Diné weaver and Sheepherder based in the Four Corners
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Weaving my interpretation of reality.

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“Caught in the Web” by Tyrrell Tapaha (Diné)

“I enjoy rendering the world around me. As a chronic documenter and student of Life, my 35mm, notepad, and pencil are my bread and butter. Given that my current direction is centered around traditional lifeways of my people (I.e. sheepherding, food sovereignty, land stewardship etc) I reflect often of our autonomy and agency/the lack there of. Autonomy whether it’s cultural, spiritual, physical, or mental is a gift we as people have. The current state of the world tends to push us in a direction of helplessness, which is a by-product of a properly functioning system. It’s a reoccurring theme within empire building that I enjoy picking apart. Satirically of course.”

Available now at hoshart.com

“Pink Mountains” by Tyrrell Tapaha (Diné)

“A newlywed couple asked me to weave this for their wedding. I was really into pinks at the time and I loved the colors I was working with - it’s a depiction of the San Francisco peaks in Flagstaff where I was living at the time. I was inspired by landscapes, and I have always loved mountains.”

Available now at hoshart.com

“Caught in the Web” by Tyrrell Tapaha (Diné)

“I enjoy rendering the world around me. As a chronic documenter and student of Life, my 35mm, notepad, and pencil are my bread and butter. Given that my current direction is centered around traditional lifeways of my people (I.e. sheepherding, food sovereignty, land stewardship etc) I reflect often of our autonomy and agency/the lack there of. Autonomy whether it’s cultural, spiritual, physical, or mental is a gift we as people have. The current state of the world tends to push us in a direction of helplessness, which is a by-product of a properly functioning system. It’s a reoccurring theme within empire building that I enjoy picking apart. Satirically of course.”

Available now at hoshart.com by @tyrrelltapaha

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2 months ago

Tyrrell Tapaha (Diné) is a 6th-generation weaver and mixed fiber artist based in the Four Corners Region of Diné Bikeyah (The Navajo Nation). A full-time sheep herder, Tapaha’s artistic practice is grounded in his relationship to his flock, the conditions of whom inform the quality and character of his weavings.
By shearing, processing, dying, and spinning wool by hand with all-natural regional materials, the artist honors ancestral tradition, producing weavings that carry stories of both the animals and the artist at every stage of the process, from the sheep to the loom. With strong attention paid to the documentary nature of weaving, Tapaha creates new possibilities within the art form by combining the customs of pastoral living with an irreverent narrative style and cutting commentary on current issues. “I use archaic tools to make contemporary stories.”
Best known for his pictorial weavings, the artist recontextualizes the representational mode by transgressing standard compositional conventions, interspersing abstract atmospheric layers, and imposing text in both English and Diné bizaad. By rendering these speculative environments, the artist’s personal narrative can grow in both subtle and extreme capacities. Tapaha’s approach upends antiquated conceptions of weaving, instead forming new models in which textiles can function as both concrete records of history and agents to collapse time.
This work, titled ‘I’ll be your mirror’ is one of Tapaha’s many takes on a self-portrait. “It showcases the tools I use on the daily that make my work possible. Most of the tools were inherited, made, and used by my great-grandmothers. Both the tools and practice that were eventually passed down to me. My tools that l included are my battens (long sticks used in weaving), weaving combs, spindles, medication bottle, a Nalgene, a sharpie, a notebook, a Fuji film disposable camera, my phone with earphones, and a toy figurine named Tim.”

~I’ll be your mirror, 2024. Hand-spun vegetal-dyed Navajo Churro wool and mohair, 57 × 27 inches

caption: Moonoka Begay by @tyrrelltapaha

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3 months ago

“Cheii Girl” 2025. 30 x 39”. Diné-style Tapestry. Vegetal dyed New Zealand and Navajo Churro.
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Color study using vegetal dyed swatches on New Zealand 2-ply yarn.
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I have forgotten what I initially wanted for this piece when it was warped it up. Usually I have some vague ideas of direction but decided to let this piece breathe and shape itself. Was chewing on tons during that chapter of my life and chipping away at this weaving was one of few things that felt right. Fun memories.
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#diné #navajoweaving #tyrrelltapaha #textiles taken in Goats Springs, AZ. by @tyrrelltapaha

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4 months ago

“Requiem for a Slut” 2026. 36 x 40.5”. Diné-style tapestry. Vegetal dyed Navajo Churro
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Odd times we’re in. I see it in the land, the people, and anytime I walk out the door in the morning. I enjoy weaving works that play with form and color. It feels like a natural response to find a distraction amidst the ever growing noise of the world. Stark graphics and storytelling hold a place where we’re allowed to reflect and express ourselves.
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The focal point of the work is a guy that I’ve included into a few of my weavings. Sometimes I see him has myself, other times, he’s a mirror for another viewer. Perhaps, giving permission to be apart of the weaving.
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Hope you’re doing well, call your mom, and pray for rain <3
#diné #navajoweaving #tyrrelltapaha #weaving taken in Goats Springs, AZ. by @tyrrelltapaha

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4 months ago

Master Diné weaver @tyrrelltapaha talked to us at the 2026 @heardmuseum Indian Market about the stunning textile that he was wearing around his shoulders.

#tyrrelltapaha #navajoweaving #heardindianfairandmarket #marksublette #medicinemangallery taken in Heard Museum by @tyrrelltapaha

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7 months ago

Summer Sillies 2K25 by @tyrrelltapaha

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a year ago

Navajo New Years = end of mountain season. taken in Carrizo Mountain by @tyrrelltapaha

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a year ago

“Caught in the Web” 2024. 38 1/2 X 40 1/2”. Diné-style tapestry. Handspun/commercial vegetal-dyed Navajo Churro.
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I enjoy rendering the world around me. As a chronic documenter and student of Life, my 35mm, notepad, and pencil are my bread and butter. Given that my current direction is centered around traditional lifeways of my people (I.e. sheepherding, food sovereignty, land stewardship etc) I reflect often of our autonomy and agency/ the lack there of.
+
Autonomy whether it’s cultural, spiritual, physical, or mental is a gift we as people have. The current state of the world tends to push us in a direction of helplessness, which is a by-product of a properly functioning system. It’s a reoccurring theme within empire-building that I enjoy picking apart. Satirically of course.
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This thread of thought spawned a fun study of what does it take to be successful as a weaver?
Is it the completion of a piece? Do I have to literally sell myself for it to be worthy? Commercially, how much capital exists within a work of mine?
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“Caught in the Web” came from an odd time in my life. Very awkward, goopy, and sticky. Ripe with the spoiled smell of political decay and half-baked genocidal campaigns.
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I never know what to type. Thanks for reading, love ya <3
#dinéweaving #tłízíłánícreations #tyrrelltapaha #diné #navajoweaving taken in Goats Springs, AZ. by @tyrrelltapaha

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a year ago

Fwends on film by @tyrrelltapaha

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a year ago

@taalaiashiih & @tyrrelltapaha were the biggest life savers today! We managed to finish shearing all my ewes & put bands on the lambs 😮‍💨 talk about a relief!
All I have left is 4 rams 🫡 by @tyrrelltapaha

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2 years ago

The contemporary Diné weavings of @tyrrelltapaha at @heardmuseum Indian Fair and Market.

#tyrrelltapaha #navajoweaving #textilearts #marksublette #medicinemangallery taken in Heard Museum by @tyrrelltapaha

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2 years ago

“Fresh Outta Ceremony, Holy as Fuck” 2024. 37 x 21 1/2”. Diné-style tapestry. Vegetal dyed Navajo Churro.
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My relationship with my practice has been an ever evolving one. I’ve admired that the material absorbs a certain level of atmospheric memory, creating this dense snapshot of a time in my life.
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I wove the work back in September at the latter end of our season on the mountain. It features an image of our corral, that aesthetically, has cultivated a sort of obsession I have with the specific form the structure has. I always feel like my best self up there. With the current state of the world, the idea of home is offering my mind a sense of longing and comfort ¿Which is cool I guess?
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This work is an abstracted hot take on the qualities I see in the landscape and sky. Compositionally, I wanted the visuals of the piece to have this kind of connectivity between the various design elements. Not sure if I nailed it or not but it’s cute tho 🤷‍♂️

Anywho, sending love to everyone near, dear, and far <3

#diné #tyrrelltapaha #navajoweaving #tłízíłánícreations taken in Goats Springs, AZ. by @tyrrelltapaha

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2 years ago