Miss Indian World Pageant Ends in 2025
Miss Indian World Pageant Ends in 2025
Introduction
The Miss Indian World pageant will have its last competition in 2025. The event is part of the Gathering of Nations powwow. The organizers say it is time to stop. They did not say why.
Main Body
The pageant started in 1984. Codi High Elk was the first winner. She was a shy teenager from the Cheyenne River Reservation. Her brother helped her to join. Later, she got two degrees and worked to help her people get credit. Contestants had to be Indigenous women aged 18 to 25. They could not be married or have children. They had to follow moral rules. The contest had interviews, speeches, and a talent show. For example, Tori McConnell, the 2023 winner, showed basket weaving. She first explained it in the Karuk language, then in English. Winners traveled to other countries as representatives. They went to New Zealand, Japan, and a protest camp. They helped with language, health, and other problems. Cheyenne Kippenberger, the 2019 winner, helped Native communities during COVID-19. She made online events and told people to get vaccines. Some people said the powwow was too commercial. The founder is not a tribal citizen. The pageant trademark will not be given to other groups. But past winners want to start a new pageant. Many winners became lawyers, teachers, and business owners. They are sad but hopeful that a new pageant will come.
Conclusion
The end of Miss Indian World is important for Indigenous women. The current organizers will not continue it. But former winners are thinking about a new pageant to take its place.
Vocabulary Learning
Sentence Learning
Miss Indian World Pageant to Conclude with Final Crowning in 2025 as Gathering of Nations Powwow Ends
Introduction
The Miss Indian World pageant, a key part of the Gathering of Nations powwow for over 40 years, will hold its final competition in 2025. Organizers have announced that they will stop both the powwow and the pageant, saying that the time has come for the events to end. They did not give any further explanation.
Main Body
The pageant began in 1984 when Codi High Elk, a shy teenager from the Cheyenne River Reservation, first threw away the application but was encouraged by her brother to enter. High Elk became the first Miss Indian World. She later stated that the experience gave her the confidence to earn two degrees and build a career focused on improving credit access for Lakota people. The competition has taken place every year at the Gathering of Nations, which calls itself the largest powwow in North America, and it has influenced the lives of young Indigenous women from the United States and Canada. Contestants had to be Indigenous women aged 18 to 25, single, without children, and they promised to follow certain moral standards. The selection process included a five-day schedule of interviews, public speaking, and a traditional talent showcase. For example, Tori McConnell, the 2023 winner, consulted Karuk and Yurok elders to create a performance showing traditional basketry. She first explained it in the Karuk language and then in English. According to Melonie Matthews, daughter of the Gathering of Nations founder, the pageant’s collection of beaded crowns, which changed each year, will be retired after the final event and possibly donated to a museum. Winners served as cultural ambassadors, traveling internationally to events such as a Māori Haka competition in New Zealand, the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, and the Oceti Sakowin camp during the Standing Rock pipeline protests. High Elk recalled preparing fry bread and Lakota tripe soup for university students in Paris in 1984. Shayai Lucero, the 1997 winner from Acoma and Laguna pueblos, noted that the pageant gave a sense of belonging to Indigenous people who had been moved away by federal relocation programs. Titleholders supported causes including language revitalization, domestic violence prevention, and mental health support. Cheyenne Kippenberger, the 2019 winner, focused on connecting Native communities during the COVID-19 pandemic through online events and encouraging vaccinations. The Gathering of Nations has faced criticism for being too commercial. Its founder, Derek Mathews, who has sometimes claimed some Cherokee ancestry but is not a tribal citizen, has made few public responses. Melonie Matthews stated that the organization did not consider giving the Miss Indian World trademark to another group, because the pageant was never a separate event. However, several former titleholders have been considering creating a new national pageant for Indigenous women. They argue that the legacy of Miss Indian World goes beyond the powwow. Other national pageants, such as Miss Native American USA, Miss Indian Nations, and Miss Indian America, have already stopped. Many past winners have become lawyers, teachers, business owners, and cultural leaders. They feel bittersweet but are optimistic that a new event will appear.
Conclusion
The end of the Miss Indian World pageant marks the loss of an important platform for Indigenous women's representation and cultural ambassadorship. While the current organizers have no plans to continue the event, former titleholders are actively considering alternatives to fill the gap.
Vocabulary Learning
Sentence Learning
Miss Indian World Pageant to Conclude with Final Crowning in 2025 as Gathering of Nations Powwow Ends
Introduction
The Miss Indian World pageant, a central component of the Gathering of Nations powwow for more than four decades, will hold its final competition in 2025. Organizers have announced the cessation of both the powwow and the pageant, stating that the time has come for the events to end without providing further explanation.
Main Body
The pageant originated in 1984 when Codi High Elk, then a shy teenager from the Cheyenne River Reservation, initially discarded the application but was persuaded by her brother to compete. High Elk became the first Miss Indian World, and she later attributed the experience to providing the confidence necessary to pursue two degrees and a career focused on expanding credit access for Lakota people. The competition has been held annually at the Gathering of Nations, which describes itself as the largest powwow in North America, and has shaped the lives of young Indigenous women from the United States and Canada. Contestants were required to be Indigenous women aged 18 to 25, single, without children, and pledged to maintain specific moral standards. The selection process involved a five-day schedule of interviews, public speaking, and a traditional talent showcase. For example, Tori McConnell, the 2023 winner, consulted Karuk and Yurok elders to develop a performance demonstrating traditional basketry, which she explained first in the Karuk language and then in English. The pageant’s rotating collection of beaded crowns will be retired after the final event, with potential donation to a museum, according to Melonie Matthews, daughter of the Gathering of Nations founder. Winners served as cultural ambassadors, traveling internationally to events such as a Māori Haka competition in New Zealand, the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, and the Oceti Sakowin camp during the Standing Rock pipeline protests. High Elk recalled preparing fry bread and Lakota tripe soup for university students in Paris in 1984. Shayai Lucero, the 1997 winner from Acoma and Laguna pueblos, noted that the pageant provided a sense of belonging for Indigenous people displaced by federal relocation programs. Titleholders advocated for causes including language revitalization, domestic violence prevention, and mental health support; Cheyenne Kippenberger, the 2019 winner, focused on connecting Native communities during the COVID-19 pandemic through online events and vaccination encouragement. The Gathering of Nations has faced criticism for perceived commercialism. Founder Derek Mathews, who has at times claimed distant Cherokee ancestry but is not a tribal citizen, has made few public responses. Melonie Matthews stated that the organization did not consider transferring the Miss Indian World trademark to another group, as the pageant was never a standalone event. Several former titleholders, however, have been exploring the creation of a new national pageant for Indigenous women, arguing that the legacy of Miss Indian World extends beyond the powwow. Other national pageants, such as Miss Native American USA, Miss Indian Nations, and Miss Indian America, have already ceased operations. Many past winners have become lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and cultural bearers, and they express a bittersweet sentiment but optimism that a successor will emerge.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the Miss Indian World pageant marks the end of a significant platform for Indigenous women's representation and cultural ambassadorship. While the current organizers have no plans to continue the event, former titleholders are actively considering alternatives to fill the resulting gap.