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NEW YORK STATE FAIR -- In the Iroquois Village, there were plenty of events to celebrate Native American Culture Friday for Native American Day, including a Smoke Dance Competition, which features traditional songs and dances from the Six Iroquois Nations.

The competition is broken down into age brackets and the contestants are typically judged on rhythm, performance and creativity.

The dances originated from traditional war dances, which were done before a battle. But since they're not at war anymore, they decided to keep the tradition alive in a competition style extravaganza.

"It was just a way to build up your adrenaline, just like a football game, you get all psyched up. And the war dance songs and dances were on that category. It warmed them up, got them excited, give them that strength from our creator to give us strength for war," John Buck said.