On April 26th Through the 28th the Gathering of Nations, the largest powwow in the United States was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There were over 3500 dancers (this is not a misprint) in the Grand Entry seen by over 80,000 attendees. 785 tribes were represented from the U.S. and Canada. It was a spectacular event.

This image is of a spirit dancer from the White River Apache Diamond Creek Crown Dancers group that participated and performed out on the open avenue in front of Tingley Arena. They are members of the White Mountain Apache tribe and have performed all over the United States.

Their performance was one of the hits if not the high point of the various dance groups that performed over the length of the event. An entire article, actually an entire book, could be written about the meaning of the dances they perform, the regalia they wear, the songs they sing, and the symbols they paint on their bodies, but that will have to be left for another time. For now this image represents their amazing culture and traditions and they deserve a debt of gratitude for sharing it with us.