Doors open Saturday at the The Pit for the nation's largest American Indian pow-wow festivities, including dances, singers and celebrity guest appearances.
The 19th annual Gathering of Nations Pow Wow Saturday and Sunday will run from 10 a.m. to midnight. More than 150,000 people are expected to gather in The Pit and 3,000 singers and dancers will perform.
The Gathering of Nations Pow Wow began Thursday with the Miss Indian World Pageant talent competition, which involves 24 young American Indian women from throughout the United States competing for the crown.
The pageant winners will be announced Saturday at 8 p.m. after the Grand Entry. Darrel Lawrence of Acoma Pueblo and actress Jade Herrera will host the event.
Competitive singing and dancing is the main focus of this event but it also will include an intertribal cultural exchange.
The Indian Traders Market is a part of the pow wow. According to the Gathering of Nations' Web site, the market includes trading of intercultural traditions, crafts and native artifacts. More than 800 artists, crafters and traders will place their work on display and some will be for sale.
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Expected pow wow guests include actors Adam Beach from "Mystery Alaska" and "Smoke Signals," a movie based on Sherman Alexie's short story collection, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven; Christian Slater; and Nicholas Cage. MGM Studios will have a booth to promote the upcoming movie, "Windtalkers," which is about the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II.
Also scheduled to appear are 2002 Grammy winners Primeaux & Mike, Jay Begay, Delphine Tsinajinnie, Rita Coolidge, Litefoot, Maggie Brown, William Gutierrez, Cumulonimbus and Lindsay Wagner.
Apache Spirit Dancers will perform the Iroquois Smoke Dance and the Hawaiian Hula Dancers will offer a special performance.
American Indian veterans also will honor Leo McKay, veteran's affairs assistant secretary, during the gourd dance session today at 5 p.m.
The Gathering of Nations is an American Indian nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to promote Native American culture and tradition and dispel stereotypes created about native people.
Staff Report
