Native Americans around the country participate in pow wows. A pow wow is an event that brings friends and family together to dance and share stories. Today, there are two different types of pow wows, traditional and modern. The traditional pow wow consists of participants from one Native American tribe. For example, the Northern Cherokee Nation of Missouri and Arkansas holds an annual pow wow that features a variety of Native American dances. Most Native American dances are used to pass down stories from one generation to another. The more modern pow wow is the intertribal pow wow. It brings different tribes from regions or even the entire American continent together. Intertribal pow wows often hold dance contests and are open to the public, unlike many traditional pow wows. One of the largest intertribal pow wows is the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow that takes place every spring in New Mexico. This pow wow brings over 500 tribes together from across the continent for dance contests, a Miss Indian World contest, and a craft fair.