Thousands gathered this past weekend at the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, for the 38th annual Trail of Tears PowWow, according to WKMS. The event featured dancing competitions with participants from about 40 Indigenous tribes, including groups traveling from Canada, as well as food, vendors and cultural exhibits such as a traditional tipi display.
The powwow takes place at a historic site along the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears, where the National Park Service says about 13,000 Native people were forcibly removed from their land. The park also marks the graves of Cherokee elder Fly Smith and Chief White Path, who died near Hopkinsville in 1838. Participants said the powwow is both a celebration and a way to honor ancestors while sharing culture with future generations.
- 1.WKMS.
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