With most of the attention on PBS going towards We Shall Remain (four years in the making and starring numerous Native Americans) beginning in April, another smaller scale PBS documentary not to be overlooked is Weaving Worlds, written and directed by Bennie Klain. Set primarily in Hardrock Chapter on the western part of the Navajo reservation, the film brings viewers in direct contact with weavers, sellers, independent buyers, and community members to provide an overview of the economics and day to day life of Navajo rug weavers.

It's an intimate view that only a director with personal contact could achieve, and the film covers various aspects of the economic cycle without narrative comment—two exceptional strengths for the documentary.

Most who have traveled across northern Arizona and New Mexico are familiar with the Navajo rugs displayed in the various trading posts and commercial stores in the area. They vary widely in size and design—many are made with the tourist market in mind—and the finest quality rugs command a high price. Given the long hours required and the remarkable skills that have been passed down orally over generations, the high prices for these works of art are justifiable. But how much actually goes to the creator?

Klain's film illuminates the economic cycle, but skillfully refrains from fixing blame by allowing various participants to tell their story as he weaves their segments into the documentary. Klain has firsthand knowledge, having observed his grandmothers selling their rugs to the local trading post. As he explains, "I wanted to revisit that family history. I also hope that Navajo artisans will become even more proactive in sharing the true value of their work, thus ensuring economic and cultural survival."

If the film has a "star," the most dynamic character is Anglo trader Elijah Blair, who revisits his former trading post in Hard Rock. He arrives over the dusty washboard roads in his white RV and instantly attracts a small gathering of local community members, who begin exchanging quips in Navajo. Blair obviously relishes the reunion, and mixes it up by teasing about looking for elderly Navajo women as he goes about visiting his own domain. (I'd been to that trading post a couple of times in the 1970s, so I've probably seen Blair before) He represents the old time trader—the ones who made a sizeable profit by gaining trust of the locals and buying rugs at low prices and marketing them on the East coast and Europe.

But the story remains far more complex. While some can view this as western society swooping in on a marketable commodity produced in a third world country, traders (like Blair) certainly helped drive up the market for traditional Navajo rugs. There's a new kind of trader that modern Navajos must deal with, personified in the film by Perry Null. They work through wholesale buyers and keep an eye on what types of rugs will be most marketable; of course, Navajo weavers must find ways to adjust to the changing demands.

Weaving Worlds includes a multi-faceted examination of Navajo rug weavers and their world, including extended interviews and footage from a variety of weavers (old and young), a young Navajo activist, and traders from two different generations. The well-paced film has high production values and provides an insider's view that is well worth checking out.