Diné weaving - produced by the Diné people of the Four Corners region - is one of the most significant textile traditions in the world and one of the few Indigenous art forms that has maintained continuous production over more than three centuries while evolving dramatically in response to trade, commerce, and artistic innovation. For collectors, Diné textiles represent an opportunity to engage with a living art form of extraordinary depth: weavings that are simultaneously functional objects, spiritual expressions, historical documents, and works of fine art that command prices from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands at major auction houses. The history of Diné weaving begins before European contact, but the tradition as we recognize it today took its essential form in the late 17th and 18th centuries, when Diné weavers acquired Spanish churro sheep and incorporated their wool - along with upright loom technology they had observed among Pueblo peoples - into a practice that had previously used other fibers. The resulting textiles were so extraordinary that they became trade goods across a vast network, sought by Spanish colonists, Mexican merchants, and eventually American military officers and early collectors. The classic period of Diné weaving runs roughly from 1800 to 1863, producing the bold horizontal-striped blankets - worn as garments by both men and women - that are now among the most coveted of all American Indigenous textiles. The designs of this period are deceptively simple: wide bands of red (achieved with raveled bayeta cloth imported from Spain), white, and indigo blue in geometric arrangements that have an almost Minimalist power when encountered in museum galleries or private collections today. The Transition period, from approximately 1868 to 1895, reflects the profound disruption of the Long Walk - the forced removal of the Diné people to Bosque Redondo and their subsequent return - and the introduction of commercial yarns, new color ranges, and design elements from broader American trade networks. Weavings from this period show experimentation and synthesis: the horizontal striped format gives way to more complex geometric fields, and the palette expands to include the vivid so-called "Germantown" colors made possible by commercially dyed wool. The trading post era, beginning in the 1890s and lasting through the mid-20th century, transformed Diné weaving from primarily a garment tradition into a rug tradition, reshaped by the commercial interests of Anglo traders who encouraged weavers to adopt formats and designs that would sell to American consumers. Different trading posts became associated with distinct regional styles: the Two Grey Hills rugs of northeastern New Mexico, with their elaborate geometric designs in natural undyed wool; the Ganado rugs from John Lorenzo Hubbell's post in northeastern Arizona, emphasizing bold red backgrounds; the Wide Ruins weavings with their vegetable-dyed pastels and pictorial softness; the Teec Nos Pos style with its intricate border-and-diamond compositions. Understanding regional styles is the foundation of collecting Diné weaving. Each style reflects not only the aesthetic preferences of individual weavers but the materials available, the influence of the local trading post, and traditions passed down through family lines - weaving is a matrilineal art among the Diné, with daughters learning from mothers and grandmothers in an unbroken chain of transmission that goes back generations. For beginning collectors, trading post rugs of the 20th century offer an accessible entry point. Excellent examples can be found at auction, through Santa Fe and Scottsdale dealers, and at the major Indigenous art markets - particularly the SWAIA market held each August in Santa Fe, which is the most significant annual marketplace for Diné and other Southwest Indigenous arts. Prices for mid-20th century trading post rugs in good condition typically range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on size, complexity, condition, and regional style. Buying from living weavers directly is the most meaningful form of collecting, and an increasing number of Diné artists make their work available through their own websites, through galleries that have established direct relationships with weaving families, and at markets on and off the Diné Nation. Purchasing directly ensures that the artist receives the full value of their work, builds a relationship that can deepen over years, and provides access to context about the weaving's cultural meaning that no secondary market transaction can offer. Condition is paramount in evaluating both antique and contemporary weavings. Look for evenness of weave - a well-made Diné weaving should be consistent in tension from edge to edge - integrity of warps and wefts without breaks or repairs, clarity of color, and the overall visual coherence of the design. Fading is common in older pieces and does not necessarily diminish value, but repairs and rebinding of damaged edges should always be disclosed and will affect price accordingly. Provenance - the documented ownership history of a weaving - adds value and scholarly significance, particularly for older pieces. A rug that can be traced to a specific trading post, a documented collection, or a notable exhibition carries additional meaning for researchers and collectors alike. Major auction houses including Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Hindman regularly feature Diné textiles, and their records provide invaluable pricing benchmarks. The contemporary Diné weaving scene is as vital as it has ever been. Artists like Melissa Cody, Roseann Sandoval, and Roy Kady are producing technically extraordinary work that engages deeply with the tradition's history while pushing its formal possibilities in genuinely new directions. These artists show at major galleries including Shiprock Santa Fe, which has been one of the most consistent champions of contemporary Diné weaving, and their work is acquired by major institutions across the country. Learning to look closely at weavings - to understand how design vocabulary has evolved, how regional styles differ, how individual weavers have developed personal visual languages within the tradition - is a practice that rewards sustained attention. The Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, and the Nation's museum in Window Rock all maintain significant textile collections with educational programming that can accelerate a collector's visual education. Take time to study their holdings before you begin buying, and your eye will develop faster than you might expect.