The scene at Mount Nittany Middle School swirled with colorful sequins and fringes this weekend during the third annual Traditional American Indian Powwow.

Kiosks lined the halls of the school, 656 Brandywine Drive, selling everything from handmade jewelry and crafts to shirts that read "Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism since 1492."

"Every weekend, we go to a different place," Wes Martin, an American Indian from Keshena, Wis., said.

There were many American Indians wearing colorful fringes and extravagant headdresses, walking around and speaking with one another.

"It's a gathering of people," Martin said. "Many of us are all old friends."

Martin explained that for American Indians, these powwows are just as much for them as it is for everyone else.

"It's a great opportunity to learn about Native American culture, but we like getting together," he said.

About 1,000 people attended the event.

The powwow in State College has been one of the most successful powwows in the whole country, Angela Rizzo (senior-public relations) said.

Rizzo was in charge of public relations for the event as a part of her Communications 473 (Public Relations Campaigns) senior project. She, with four other group members, made billboards and contacted media.

During the grand entry at 1 p.m., the beat of the drums could be heard outside the school, and the unusual harmonies of musical group Iron Feather wailed as dozens of American Indians circled the gymnasium.

Many waved their arms and pranced on beat, leaping and spinning in the air. "It's called the sacred circle," Jason Windhorse said.

Windhorse, a Seminole Indian from Florida, was a musician in Iron Feather.

"The drum is to honor the family, and with each beat, it calls up to them," he said.

Windhorse added that the drumbeat represented the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

The songs, he said, are sometimes sung in Indian languages, such as Pawnee or Cheyenne, and other times are called vocables.

"When tribes used to get together, they didn't always have a common language," he said. "So they would chant together instead."

Peter Chiquito, one of the many dancers at the event, said he teaches kids how to dance like traditional American Indians and said it was an honor to be able to pass on the tradition.

"You just follow the drum and listen to the beat," he said.

Chiquito wore a red, white and blue outfit that he said was made by his friend.

"It's more about the culture than dancing," he said.

There were several groups of musicians who traded off singing and beating their drums, so music was heard constantly.

For one particular song, all the "tiny tots, no matter what category or style" were called out and allowed to participate. Many American Indians held the hands of boys and girls and shared their culture with them.