At Miss Indian World, some of the loudest cheers come from contestants themselves

Apr. 28—ALBUQUERQUE — The Kiva Auditorium crowd had plenty of love for local ladies — the Miss Indian World contestants from New Mexico, and the Diné competitors from Arizona.

And they were feeling the hoop dance performances from two hopefuls.

But the loudest shouts and trills throughout the weekend were reserved not for the candidates' most perfect efforts during the traditional skills element of the annual Gathering of Nations pageant but for the moments when they missed a beat, when their eyes went wide trying to remember their words, when they showed a moment of grief or emotion.

That included when Raquel Britton, a 22-year-old from California, grew emotional while recounting her Yuki Tribe's history of genocide and forced relocation during a basketry demonstration.

It extended to the reigning Miss Indian World, Tori McConnell, Yurok/Káruk, who paused a vocal performance to tell the crowd she was feeling "too nervous" to finish singing the complex song.

"You got this!" one man yelled amid a roar of applause.

And some of the loudest support came from the contestants themselves, like Claudia McHenry, a 25-year-old from Lamar, Okla. After her own public speaking appearance, she slipped into the crowd, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted enthusiastic encouragement to her rivals.

Charon Otero of Na' Neelzhiin in western Sandoval County, the winner of this year's Miss Congeniality award, said the 25 contestants from across North America themselves cheered one another on.

"We all supported each other because this is a lot," said Otero, Diné, who was one of only two New Mexico contestants in the pageant this year.

The Miss Indian World pageant, which spanned four days and included tests of public speaking and dancing abilities, ended late Saturday with the crowning of Kassie John, a 25-year-old Diné woman from Rock Point, Ariz.

"How many of you know where Rock Point, Arizona, is?" announcer Lisa Meeches asked the crowd at Tingley Coliseum. "Now you do."

The pageant focused heavily on cultural knowledge and required contestants ages 18 to 25 to demonstrate a traditional skill, show off their dance abilities and be able to answer questions about their community on the fly.

John is the first Navajo woman to win the contest since Kansas Begay of Waterflow in 2013. John won over judges with her demonstration of a healing dance called the Skip Dance during the traditional talent show, which she performed with her uncle, and with a one-minute, unprepared speech about traditional preparation and use of corn.

"One of the ways I really enjoy naadą́ą́ prepared is blue corn mush," said John, using the Diné word for corn. "This is consistent of dried blue corn, grinded into a fine powder. What we use this for is to heal and nourish our bodies."

John, who works in the public health field, said the Diné method includes mixing ground dried blue corn with juniper ash.

"When we created this dish, we did not know that this was a good source of calcium," John said.

The pageant offered a glimpse into the two dozen communities represented.

Otero sang a song about Navajo stirring sticks given to young women when they come of age. Ariel Aguilar, a 25-year-old from the Mescalero Apache Tribe in Southern New Mexico, brought her sibling and a cousin onstage to model different variations on traditional tribal clothing.

McHenry of Oklahoma paid tribute to Muscogee women with a haunting lullaby sung by mothers trying to soothe their babies on the forced Trail of Tears so as not to draw the wrath of accompanying U.S. soldiers.

Violette Capoeman, 18, from Taholah, Wash., gave a dramatic performance of the story of the constellations from her Quinault/Alutiiq community, complete with a number of animal masks she donned. And Develynn Hall, 22, Shoshone-Bannock from Fort Hall, Idaho, demonstrated her knowledge of flint knapping, the making of tools from obsidian —a skill the Idaho National Guard member said is traditionally practiced by men.

The pageant was celebratory, of course. But featured throughout were reminders of the challenges Native communities still face today.

McConnell, who won the pageant last year, said her advocacy for awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women during her reigning year hit her especially hard because her own brother and cousin previously went missing. McConnell's brother was later found and "is on a path to recovery," she said. And her cousin's sister, who experienced depression and fell into substance abuse, later dedicated herself to a sober life, in part drawing strength from McConnell's role as Miss Indian World, she told audience members Saturday night to wild applause.

"Youth leadership ... should be foremost a healing thing," she said.

Otero, who now lives in Albuquerque and works for a pharmacy company, said her desire to be a role model encouraged her to enter the pageant, which she said was worth it despite the cold she caught and the nerves she felt.

"Honestly it was a great experience," said Otero, walking outside Tingley Coliseum on Saturday night, pausing every few steps to accept a hug, a high-five or a congratulations. "I wish every girl could go through this. ... I decided that I wanted to run because I wanted to show the younger generations it's possible to do anything for your dreams."