<\/strong>Cindy\u2019s father, Don Yahola, first launched a powwow in the area while serving as president of another Native American organization in Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy father was elected president of that organization,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd while he was with that organization, he started a powwow. When he left the organization, he carried the powwow with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yahola\u2019s goal was to continue the powwow and to further educate Tennesseans about Native American culture in a region where tribal communities were forcibly removed nearly two centuries ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LEGACY ROOTED IN HISTORY \u201cThere are a lot of people in the area who think that during the Trail of Tears, all Native Americans died. But we are still here,\u201d Cindy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the powwow is a statement that Native Americans are still here and want their voices and their stories heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe event is an education for people in our traditions and culture,\u201d said Cindy. \u201cAnd also, to help dispel stereotypes that people have about Native Americans and find out what we are really like in everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n GROWING A CULTURAL TRADITION \u201cWe\u2019ve had steady growth over the years. This will be our 43rd year as an event, and we welcome participants from across the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 100 tribes are represented each year, with dancers, drummers, artisans, and educators traveling from across the U.S. to participate. The event also includes authentic Native food, arts and crafts, and hands-on activities such as tomahawk throwing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A FAMILY TRADITION PASSED DOWN “My father was the organizer, and the week before he passed, he asked me to keep this going for him. This will be my 24th year doing this as an organizer, but I have been helping nearly all of my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cindy is also bringing in the next generation of the powwow through her daughter, Aspen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 21 years of age, Aspen Yahola has been attending the powwow since birth. A pre-veterinary major with a psychology minor at Tennessee Technological University, Aspen is learning the ropes of event organizing while bringing fresh energy to the tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe is bringing new life to the event with younger people attending. I would love for her to keep things going,\u201d said Cindy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aspen sees her role as both a responsibility and an opportunity. \u201cI\u2019m Gen Z, so I\u2019m utilizing social media to not only get the word out about the event, but to attract a younger audience,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of my heritage and that I\u2019m able to talk about it. I know it hasn\u2019t always been like that. My mom and aunts weren\u2019t able to talk about their heritage, and I\u2019m glad I\u2019m able to share my heritage with others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also hopes to bring more young people into leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/1-3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorized the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Native people from their homelands in the Southeast, including present-day Tennessee. The brutal journeys that followed, collectively remembered as the Trail of Tears, led many to believe that Native communities vanished entirely from the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Today, the WilCo Pow Wow is held each September at the Lebanon fairgrounds, where it has taken place since 2021. What began as a small community gathering has grown into one of the region\u2019s most anticipated cultural events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/3-4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>Cindy took over the event after her father died in 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/lebanon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2026\/06\/2-3-1024x683.jpg\")