Weavers

Delorcita Francis


Yá’át’ééh! My name is Delorcita Francis. I learned to weave from my mother when I was eight or nine years old. Often times, my mother would ask me to finish her rugs for her. Then one day, she made a loom for me to make my own rugs. I don’t remember the first rug I wove, though.

Weaving is just one of the things I learned from my mother. She taught me how to make many traditional dishes. Some of my favorite memories are from growing up and laughing and joking around with my family. I was often left in charge of my siblings. I remember when my parents would go into town, I would tell my brother to go get a lamb to butcher and we would make a big meal while my parents were away.

I was very close to my father. He was my hero. I spent a lot of time with him. He was the one I would go to when I was feeling ill. He would pray for me and show me how to use traditional medicines to make me feel better. I still follow those traditional ways and so do my children. I have five children and 12 grandchildren. I have 5 brothers and 4 sisters. Most of them live about a mile from my house.

My favorite rug pattern to weave is Teec Nos Pos. I love how I can weave so many intricate patterns and use many different vibrant colors. I sometimes card and spin my own wool into yarn and I often have more than one rug on a loom at my house.

I think it is very important to be happy everyday. You should try to talk nice to people. And to laugh.