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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Miss Indian World pageant, a centerpiece of the annual Gathering of Nations powwow, is set to reach a close as organizers retire the title’s rotating beaded crowns and end the decades-long competition for Indigenous women, according to The Associated Press.
Codi High Elk, who was first crowned Miss Indian World in 1984, said her life changed “from the day I got my crown,” and credited her tenure with giving her the confidence to earn two degrees and build a career “expanding credit access for Lakota people.” She said she wants the same opportunity for her granddaughters.
Organizers have said this year will be the last for Miss Indian World, with the final winner scheduled in 2025. The beaded crowns associated with the pageant will be retired at the end of the two-day gathering on Saturday, and may later be offered to a museum for display, Melonie Matthews, daughter of the Gathering of Nations founder, said.
The pageant has drawn Indigenous women aged 18 to 25 to compete for the prestigious title and an iconic intricately beaded crown, and it has operated as an annual headlining event at Gathering of Nations for more than four decades. The competition required contestants to be single, with no children, and to pledge to maintain specific moral standards, organizers said, while also inviting candidates to navigate a multi-stage process that included interviews, public speaking, and a traditional talent showcase.
Dania Wahwasuck, of the Prairie Band Potawatomi and Pyramid Lake Paiute tribes, won the title last year and her crown and sash—featuring a star quilt motif and another set with rhinestones and shades of pink—are expected to be among the crowns retired Saturday. Tori McConnell, who won in 2023, developed her performance by seeking advice from Karuk and Yurok elders, then showcased traditional basketry, explaining first in Karuk and then in English how she weaved using materials gathered from her ancestral homelands in northwest California. McConnell said: “To have our art recognized on that level was so validating,” adding “Not just for me but for my community.”
Multiple past winners described the crown as a platform for cultural advocacy. Shayai Lucero, Miss Indian World 1997, said the pageant’s role was larger than individual representation, telling AP: “You become an ambassador not just for your own culture but for all Indigenous peoples.” Lucero, who did not grow up in a powwow culture, said that at the 1997 Stanford University Powwow she found belonging among pueblo communities in the Bay Area that had come together due to a federal program that sought to relocate Native Americans off reservations and into cities.
During their tenures, Lucero and other winners advocated for causes that included Indigenous language revitalization and domestic violence prevention. Cheyenne Kippenberger, Miss Indian World 2019, focused on mental health as the pandemic disrupted ceremonies and community gatherings, hosting online events and encouraging Native people to get vaccinated. Kippenberger said she remembered thinking, “Everybody’s feeling really lonely and confined. We need to find a way to connect people,” and she said she now leads a tribal consulting firm.
Organizers said the end of the pageant comes without plans to continue the Miss Indian World title, which is trademarked by the Gathering of Nations, Ltd., the nonprofit that runs the powwow and pageant. The AP reported that Gathering of Nations has faced criticism over the years for being overly commercial, and that founder Derek Mathews has made few public comments in response to such concerns, including questioning over claims about distant Cherokee ancestry.
Melonie Matthews said the organization did not consider transferring the Miss Indian World trademark to another group, adding in an emailed statement that “The Miss Indian World pageant goes hand in hand with the powwow. It was never a stand-alone event.” However, Lucero and other former titleholders said they have been considering how the legacy might live on even if the pageant does not.
Several past winners have said “Miss Indian World is bigger than one powwow,” and Lucero said, “We don’t need the powwow to continue her legacy.” Other Indigenous pageant titles that once crowned women on a national stage, including Miss Native American USA, Miss Indian Nations and Miss Indian America, have also ended in recent years, AP reported.
Kippenberger described the closing as both difficult and motivating, telling AP: “It’s a bittersweet feeling,” while saying she felt “full confidence and optimism that something positive will fill in the gap.”