(L-R) Fawn Douglas, Jeanine Otero (contestant), Jonnette Paddy (contestant), Hayley Wilson (contestant), and Paloma Marcos.
Native American Student Association – UNLV
Celebrating their cultural heritage, the Native American Student Association at UNLV is preparing for their third annual pageant. UNLV students will present their knowledge of their culture, their traditional and contemporary talents, and their communication abilities.
The Native American Student Association, founded at UNLV in 2017, provides resources and community involvement to Native American students. The club also helps them connect with the Native community here in Las Vegas and across Nevada.
This provides a sense of belonging and community while helping them return to their roots and learn about their cultures. The club also provides education to non-natives about Native American life and their experiences to build solidarity and understanding.
In 2018, the N.A.S.A. held their first powwow, where the mayor came out and declared the first day of the event Indigenous Peoples’ Day. After that event, the organization grew, with many passionate people getting involved with Native advocacy.
Former Miss Native UNLV, Jonnette Paddy shared how the organization helps prospective native students that want to go to college.
“It’s very sad, actually,” Paddy said. “There are many Native students that don’t go to college, so we help them navigate the process and stay [enrolled].”
“UNLV itself doesn’t do outreach to the reservations,” she said. To counter this, the N.A.S.A. tries to do as much outreach to local Native communities as possible.
She expressed that this is an oversight; meaning the university does outreach in other states but not a few miles outside Vegas to bring in more Native students. So, the association works to do that in the school’s place.
Mx. Native UNLV
Being a Former Miss Native UNLV, Paddy actively works with the Native American Student Association and helps plan their events, including their upcoming pageant. This year’s event changed this up to comply with COVID-19 restrictions and make the event more inclusive. Besides being a virtual event this year, the pageant will open the competition to more than just female Native students.
Instead, Paddy shared that this year’s pageant called the ‘Mx. Native UNLV’, instead of ‘Miss Native UNLV,’ allows any Native American UNLV students to participate.
“This year, our pageant isn’t going to be just women; it’s going to be all folks – including non-binary people and men,” Paddy said. “Whoever wins the title can go by ‘Ms.,’ ‘Mr.,’ or ‘Mx.’.” (Pronounced ‘Mix’).
By allowing any Native students to participate regardless of gender identity, the club hopes to honor “two-spirit” students. This identification encompasses any Native people who are gender-variant or carry out traditional third-gender roles within their cultures.
What is a Pageant?
Paddy explained how, to the Native community, ‘pageant’ has a different meaning and importance for them and their culture. This, compared to American pageantry, which often centers on looks.
“The word pageant sometimes has a toxic connotation associated with it, but in the Native community,…and our culture, we like to celebrate our resiliency, and the pageant is an extension of that,” Paddy said. “We don’t do swimsuit or runway type competitions – it’s not about modeling.
From October 12th through the 16th, contestants will be submitting video submissions that the club will be posting to Facebook. Paddy stated that they are still accepting contestants but that applications will close on the 8th at 11:59 PM. Applicants must be actively enrolled at UNLV and must be Native American.
The pageant winner will be announced on Saturday the 17th, receiving a $1,000 UNLV scholarship, provided by the N.A.S.A. itself. Goodie bags filled with items from local organizations will be mailed out to all contestants who compete.
Paddy will be one of the judges, along with the current Miss Native UNLV – passing off her crown to this year’s winner.
The pageant will be available to watch through the Mx. Native UNLV’s Facebook page.
The Pageant
Public Speaking
Paddy covered some of the sections showcased in the pageant. In one, contestants get judged on their public-speaking abilities. This is an opportunity for them to present what they’re advocating for within the Native community.
While competing to be Miss Native UNLV, Paddy spoke of missing and murdered indigenous people.
“As Miss Native what I did, in doing outreach for my platform, was go out into different organizations and spaces to try and spread awareness about it, and try to get people to know about the issue, who is doing things about the issue, different things like that,” she said.
She then shared that current Miss Native, Cynthia Solis-Murillo, covered “public health awareness in the Native community” for her public speaking platform.
“She focuses on all the issues that go with that and tries to improve the health of Native people, speaking about the issues on it, and the ways that you can change it on the big scale of legislation, and small scale of day-to-day life.”
The pageant is akin to the “crowning of a royal activist” for the Native community, Paddy said.
Talent
Moving to the event’s talent portion, contestants will get to present both traditional and contemporary talents. Paddy explained that traditional skill doesn’t have strict parameters but that it has to relate to the person’s culture.
“For example, this includes things like beading, sewing, dancing, singing, or even butchering,” Paddy said. Aside from that, the contemporary talent could be just anything the contestants want to show.
“Pageantry in the Native community is pretty big,” Paddy said. She explained how the different reservations have their own representatives who are former pageant winners. Holding their crown for a year, they then mentor and help the new contestants prepare.
“Every tribe has their own pageant for royalty,” Paddy said. “The way that they do their pageants or judge them is different but they’re all based around their respective cultures.”
Cultural Significances
Paddy also spoke of pageantry related to her own tribe of the Navajo Nation. For example, contestants showcase their Navajo language speaking skills, traditional attire, and even their ability to butcher and prepare a sheep.
This is because of the significance of sheep in Navajo culture, sharing that many Navajo people make their money from sheep’s wool. A contestant’s talent in a pageant might present their ability to weave a rug in the traditional wave from sheep’s wool.
She shared how many indigenous artisans sell their art and handmade goods. There’s also cultural importance to them for how they make things.
“Not many realize that whenever an indigenous person is in full-regalia, everything they’re wearing is handmade,” Paddy said. For instance, the moccasins to the skirts, or, for the men – their headdresses with the large bustles of feathers.
“You have to put good intentions into it completely, so whether you’re wearing it or someone else is, they feel the good energy in it,” Paddy said. “The traditional talents are very special to us, and every tribe is different with their practices and traditions.”
In addition to celebrating culture and heritage, Paddy shared how the pageants celebrate how they identify themselves and their families.
“It’s a celebration of indigenous sisterhood,” Paddy said. “Most tribes in America are matriarchal, where the women are never ‘lesser than,’ and our power and our abilities are definitely recognized.”
She concluded by explaining that this pageant isn’t just another celebration of the culture that couldn’t be taken away by the U.S. government and the people they couldn’t assimilate and kill.
“It’s to show we are here and know a little bit about our cultures.”
#GetinMotion with the Native American Student Association
To learn more about the N.A.S.A. and their upcoming pageant, please visit their LinkTree and visit their Facebook and Instagram.
Sources
https://www.unlv.edu/news-story/2018-unlv-indigenous-peoples-day-powwow
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