Native American Pow Wow hosted in Ardmore

May 17—ARDMORE — In the digital age, many people have taken to researching their family history. But, some folks have always known.

Betty Burton said her family always knew they had Native American roots. She lives in Huntsville now but was from Texas originally. She's a member of the elder council of UCAN — the United Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation. It's one of the nine state-recognized tribes in Alabama.

Burton was just one of many people with Native American ancestry gathered in Ardmore this weekend for a Pow Wow, a gathering where people dance, play music, socialize, and even sell goods.

The Cherokee Road Singers performed songs and drummed for the two-day long event in James Barnes Park. Four men from Alabama make up the group: Art Bolduc from Hulaco, David Johnson from Priceville, Vick Vall from Fogville, and Gene Thomas from Madison. Bolduc said the group used to travel a lot more often than they do now. They would do over 20 Pow Wows in a season at one time, he said.

Carol Woods-Fitch has always organized the Pow Wow in Ardmore, and she said it's just a time for everyone to enjoy getting together again.

"It started out as a family reunion, and it's grown," she said. "People are just fascinated with the dancers, I guess."

She said her late husband was the one who knew of his heritage, first. He and their children joined the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama — which is another state-recognized tribe. She said they'd go to Pow Wows, and then she really started to research her own family history after her children started learning about Native American history in school.

Woods-Fitch said her husband at the time began to organize the first Ardmore Pow Wow in 2009, he died before he could see it come to fruition, but she and the rest of the family did it in his honor. There have been a few years they couldn't host it, but in 2022 they came back in full force and 2023 seemed to bring plenty of travelers out again.

Two writers were set up in tents next to each other — Cabot Barden and John T. Wayne. Barden is from Talledega, but Wayne made the drive all the way from Arkansas. The two met at Pow Wows selling their books and often still find themselves traveling to the same ones. Barden said he and Wayne definitely have some shared memories. The two were even actors in a short film together, which may not surprise most people. One would expect with a name such as John Wayne, he had to at least try his hand at acting. Wayne said he's a writer at heart, though, and he'll never be like his grandfather — yes, that one, the "Duke" John Wayne himself.

Wayne said the discovery of his grandfather officially was recent and he's writing a book about it. He said people don't always believe him, but he's writing his autobiography now that will tell everything about the secrets that were kept from his family.

Many other people may still find their family heritage a secret, but Woods-Fitch said many more are starting to look and discover their own Native American roots.

"People are beginning to wake up to it," she said. "[It's important] to know where you come from and to teach your children and to pass it down to our grandchildren."

Amy and Johnny Postoak brought their three daughters who all have learned to dance since they could walk, they said. They're Cherokee and traveled from North Carolina. The family sets up their tent to sell their crafts like beadwork, acrylics, wood carving, finger weaving, and other textiles. They travel so much, it just made sense to start selling their work Johnny said. The girls are in school, too, but the family travels all around mostly during the summer to dance at Pow Wows nationwide. People at the Ardmore Pow Wow were so excited to see the youngest girls participate in the dances.

"My husband that passed away, his motto was, 'if one child walks away with a little knowledge, our job is done,'" she said.