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APRIL 30, 2001

Dancers, drum groups, celebrities and the crowds turned out in force for the 18th Annual Gathering of Nations pow-wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this past weekend.

Spectators from all over Indian Country and the world descended on The Pit to experience one of North America's largest pow-wows. For two solid days beginning on Friday, the 17,000-seat arena played host to concert performances, the crowning of Miss Indian World, and numerous dance competitions.

At the heart of the festivities were an estimated 3,000 dancers ranging in age from 2 years to 70-plus. Clad in traditional regalia, the dancers competed for top prizes and top honors, putting their best feet forward -- and sometimes in the air -- for the jingle, southern buckskin, fancy, and other dances.

But the dancers couldn't move without the help of the 40 or so drum groups who provided the rhythm and beat the entire weekend. Their efforts didn't go unnoticed, as this year's GRAMMY-winning Gathering of Nations soundtrack proves.

Representatives from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the group which puts on the GRAMMYs, presented the 18 drum groups featured on the soundtrack with special certificates on Friday night. The soundtrack was the first ever winner in the "Best Native American Music Album" category.

Music beyond traditional pow-wow songs were also a big part of the celebration. Rocker Robert Mirabal, blues-rock singer Star Nayea, and the multi-faceted Clan/destine were among the few who kept the crowd moving while rapper Litefoot and flutist Robert Tree Cody greeted eager fans throughout the weekend, occasionally causing traffic jams in the packed arena.

Saturday was a special day for Lillian "Cepa" Sparks, Miss Indian World 2000. The Rosebud / Sicangu Lakota law student student spent the past year attending pow-wows and events while enrolled full-time at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

"All of you are going home winners in my eyes," said Sparks to the 24 young women hoping to be her successor. But only one could win and Ke Aloha Alo became the first Native Hawaiian to take home the title.

A member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona, the 25-year-old graduate of Brigham Young University attended Gathering of Nations for the first time this year. Urged on by her parents and 1999 winner Mitzi Tolino, also White Mountain Apache, Alo began preparing for the pageant several months ago but said winning was the work of a lifetime.

"Everything in my life has led up to this point," said Alo after she was crowned. She works for her tribe's legal services department and is also a dance and piano instructor.

As the pow-wow drew to a close on Saturday night, The Pit got especially hot with a special Smoke Dance competition. Based on a traditional Iroquois war dance, the crowd pleasure is popular for its fast rhythm which men and women dancers follow with amazing precision.

The high pace continued well into the early Sunday morning hours, as the pow-wow ended another run in Albuquerque. Preparations are already under way for next year's event.

Relevant Links:
Gathering of Nations - http://www.gatheringofnations.com

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