S moke S ignals
MAY 15, 2017
25
Royalty attends Gathering of Nations Powwow
This was my second time attending the Gathering of Nations
Powwow in New Mexico as a Tribal Royalty representative for
Grand Ronde.
My favorite part of the trip was watching the traditional talent,
speaking and dance portions of the Miss Indian World Pageant,
and I got to meet my fourth Miss Indian World. We got to take a
picture with all the other Royalty queens and Miss Indian World,
and we took a picture with all of the 24 contestants competing for
Miss Indian World.
We were able to meet a lot of other Royalty queens and take pic-
tures. We also got to do a scavenger hunt in Old Town Albuquerque
and that was fun.
I danced in all four grand entries and there were so many danc-
ers that we didn't get to introduce ourselves because there were
so many queens, but I probably would have been nervous because
there was so many people in the crowd.
My mom and I liked looking at all of the vendors. There were so
many that we had to walk through like four times. I had a lot of
fun and enjoyed the powwow and the time I got to spend with the
other girls on Royalty.
I’m very thankful for the opportunity to travel and represent my
Tribe, and one day I hope to be a candidate for Miss Indian World.
Hayu masi,
Kaleigha Simi
2016-17 Little Miss Grand Ronde
I really enjoyed watching the contestants of the Miss Indian
World Pageant perform. I learned how important it is to stay
connected with your culture and really enjoyed watching their
traditional talent portion. It made it so much more exciting that
I actually knew some of the girls participating having seen them
along the powwow trail.
My favorite part of the actual powwow was watching the head
boy Sonny Little Head's Boys Fancy Special. The winner
received a real live paint horse that they brought into the
arena. The head girl, Tia Wood, did a Jingle Red Dress Spe-
cial and it was very beautiful to see all those red dresses on
the dance floor.
One of the best parts was getting to spend more time
bonding with Iyana Holmes and Kaleigha Simi. We had
a good time together. I want to say thank you to all of you
who helped us fundraise for our trip and thank you to our
coordinator Chelsea Clark for planning everything.
Isabelle Grout
2016-17 Junior Miss Grand Ronde
This was my first time flying in an airplane and it was
really cool sitting by the window. Walking in both grand en-
tries on Friday was an experience I will never forget because
there were more dancers than I have ever seen in my life.
It was really cool to watch the Miss Indian World Pageant
and getting to take pictures with them. The new crown is
so pretty!
I had a lot of fun in downtown Albuquerque running around
doing the scavenger hunt Chelsea set up for us. Thank you to
my family for helping me pay for the trip. It was really fun!
Sophia Grout
2016-17 Little Miss Princess
Courtesy photos
2016-17 Grand Ronde Royalty, from left, Senior Miss Grand Ronde Iyana Holmes,
Junior Miss Grand Ronde Isabelle Grout, 2016 Miss Indian World Danielle Finn,
Little Miss Grand Ronde Kaleigha Simi and Little Miss Princess Sophia Grout at the
Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, N.M., last month.
Grand Ronde Royalty, from left, Senior Miss Grand Ronde Iyana Holmes, Little Miss Grand
Ronde Kaleigha Simi and Junior Miss Grand Ronde Isabelle Grout at the Gathering of
Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, N.M., last month.
Grand Ronde Royalty took part in a group photo with other Royalty in attendance at the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, N.M., last month.