MY MOM ALWAYS says that when she found out she was pregnant with a girl, the first words out of her mouth were “Miss Navajo Nation.” My relatives went to great lengths to get me ready for this title; since birth, I’ve been immersed in our heritage. So when the pageant—which has been held every year since 1952—arrived, it was challenging, but I knew what to do. I’d been preparing all my life.
Pageantry is incredibly important in our culture and especially in my family: My aunt was Miss Eastern Navajo and Miss Indian New Mexico. The weeklong competition started with each contestant skinning and butchering a sheep; then there were full days of interviews about what we hoped to achieve during our reign. We also did community service and a…
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O, The Oprah (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2020