Canku Ota - January 10, 2004 - The 36th Miss National Congress of American Indians

	Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	January 10, 2004 - Issue 104


	The 36th Miss National Congress of American Indians
	by Alyssa Burhans Organizing Director: Young Voters, Communities of Color IATP Action/National Voice
	credits: All photos by Larry Price Photography (1) Cheryl V. Dixon being crowned Miss NCAI 2003 by the outgoing titleholder Karen-Irene Serna. (2) Barbara Lynn Abrams from the Seneca Nation of New York is crowned the Miss NCAI 2003 Runner-up. (3) Miss NCAI 2003 Court, (L to R): Maurisa Red Deer Two Two, Best Talent (Tohono O’odham Nation), Barbara Lynn Abrams, Miss NCAI Runner-Up (Seneca Nation), Cheryl V. Dixon, Miss NCAI 2003-2004 (Pueblo of Isleta), Tiffany Dawn Stuart, Miss Congeniality (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon). (4) Gwendolyn Ann Peterson (Tlingit/Haida) explains the intricate weaving styles of her people. (5) Cheryl V. Dixon listens to the honor song from the Star Feather Drum Group after being crowned Miss NCAI 2003.

The 36th Miss National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was crowned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the annual NCAI Convention. Cheryl Dixon, hailing from Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico, will carry the prestigious title for the next year. She is the daughter of Floyd and Vicki Dixon and currently a sophomore at the University of New Mexico. There she is majoring in Biology and English in pursuit of a pre-medicine degree. Cheryl will carry her message of "sustaining education in American Indian communities" throughout the nation.

Contestants for the Miss NCAI Pageant represent the best and brightest of young Indian women. All contestants are in their last year of high school or currently enrolled in college. This year, 12 contestants competed for the title over a rigorous 3 day event.

Barbara Lynn Abrams from the Seneca Nation in New York was the runner-up for this year's event. Barbara is currently a student at United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota majoring in Tribal Management. The Best Talent award went to Maurisa Red Deer Two Two from the Tohono O'odham Nation for her performance of a traditional Tohono O'odham song. Tiffany Dawn Stuart from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon, was awarded the Miss Congeniality Award from her peers.

Other contestants included: Daryl Lynn Jay (Gila River Indian Community), Artistina Sanchez (Salt-River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community), Tai Simpson (Nez Perce), Rayma Lynn Adakai (Turtle Mountain Ojibwa/Navajo), Viola Brooks (Hoopa Valley Tribe), Santee Lewis (Navajo Nation), Martina Rae Gallegos (Ute Mountain Ute Tribe), and Gwendolyn Peterson (Tlingit/Haida).

As the oldest and largest tribal government organization in the United States, NCAI serves as a forum for consensus-based policy development among its membership. The Miss NCAI Scholarship Pageant was developed to recognize outstanding young Indian women and was first held in 1968. Today, it is the longest running pageant for American Indian women and many of the titleholders have gone on to successful careers in media, business, politics, and art. The Miss NCAI Pageant focuses on both traditional and contemporary knowledge of tribal culture, government, current tribal issues, and the current challenges that face American Indian Nations.

For more information on the current Miss NCAI or the 2004 event, please visit www.ncai.org <http://www.ncai.org> ~Profiles ~Miss NCAI.

Miss NCAI 2003 Court, (L to R): Maurisa Red Deer Two Two, Best Talent (Tohono O’odham Nation), Barbara Lynn Abrams, Miss NCAI Runner-Up (Seneca Nation), Cheryl V. Dixon, Miss NCAI 2003-2004 (Pueblo of Isleta), Tiffany Dawn Stuart, Miss Congeniality (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon).

Gwendolyn Ann Peterson (Tlingit/Haida) explains the intricate weaving styles of her people.

Cheryl V. Dixon listens to the honor song from the Star Feather Drum Group after being crowned Miss NCAI 2003.







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