PIKWAKANAGAN – Competing in the inaugural Miss Indigenous Canada pageant, Meiyah Whiteduck finished as first runner up and she could not be more delighted.
“It was all just amazing and I got to meet some amazing women from across Canada,” she said of the four-day pageant. “I’m really happy with the results of it all. I’m proud of myself because I put so much work into and it was great to see the work come back to me.”
Representing the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, she was one of 26 contestants from across Canada in the first-ever pageant, which was held last week at Six Nations on the Grand River. The winner was crowned on Saturday night.
With the pageant beginning on Wednesday evening, each day was filled with activities, including workshops on hoop dancing, kayaking on the Grand River, interviews with the judges and getting to know the other contestants.
They were judged on various criteria, including a scrapbook they prepared as a representation of who they are. For Meiyah, her scrapbook included not only her Anishinaabe culture and growing up years at Pikwakanagan but also her current work as an Indigenous student worker where she supports students for the Kawartha-Pine Ridge School Board.
“We were also judged on our cultural presentation as well,” she said.
Hers was on her regalia and she showed how regalia grows with an individual. She brought along some of her older regalia as an example.
“I had one of my oldest regalias and I had my jingle dress and I was wearing my fancy shawl regalia,” she explained.
She began by telling of her great-great-grandmother, Mary Commanda who passed on the tradition in the family of dancing, drumming and singing.
“She would gather her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren and they would do dancing and drumming and singing on a little stage,” she said. “My nan is her great-grandchild. So, she passed on those teachings to my nan, who passed them on to me.”
In those days when Mary Commanda was doing this, people would come to the community, then known as the Golden Lake Reserve and watch. So, it was not only for community members but also for others to learn about the community, Meiyah explained.
Speaking about her regalia, she talked about how Isaac Amikons painted a butterfly for her when she was a child and then her nan hand-stitched it on her regalia she used when she was about 10. This made this regalia very special for her, she said.
“Then my jingle dress as when I needed healing and those colours represent me,” she explained.
He newest regalia, also in vibrant colour, still represents her, she said, and it was this regalia she was wearing.
On Saturday, during the finals of the pageant, the top five contestants were named and invited to come back on stage. Meiyah said it was nerve-wracking but very exciting to hear her name called.
“Being in the top five was crazy. I was holding back tears and I could see my family in the audience,” she said.
Each contestant then picked a random question to answer. Hers was asking what the first thing was she would show a first-time visitor to Pikwakanagan.
“I said the first thing I would show them is our lake. That represents our community. Our ancestors used it as a place of travel and they saw it as a place of beauty so they resided there,” she said.
Following deliberations, the judges announced the fifth runner up, fourth and so on. In the end, it was only Meiyah and the woman who would soon be named Miss Indigenous Canada.
“That was crazy. Every time they say a name you breathe a sigh of relief. Then it was me and Jessica McKenzie and she was well deserving of the title.”
The winner hails from Opaskwayak Cree Nation and her hometown is The Pas, Manitoba.
So, what is next for Meiyah?
“I’m prepping for next year. I am hoping next year I can bring back the crown,” she said.
The entire process was a very positive experience for her and she believes the pageant organizers did a good job of picking genuine people. She said she felt encouraged throughout the pageant.
“And my community support was amazing,” she said.
Not only was she supported by chief and council but also by businesses and individuals.
“People from all around Turtle Island were supporting me,” she said.
Throughout the pageant she wore her Algonquins of Pikwakanagan sash and she will be wearing it proudly at the upcoming Pow Wow at Pikwakanagan in August. She welcomes people to ask her about the pageant.
“It makes me feel so proud to represent our community,” she said. “It was amazing to put Pikwakanagan on the map on the national stage.”
A graduate of St. James Catholic School in Eganville and Opeongo High School, the 24-year-old is well-known locally for her drumming and singing as a member of the Pikwakanagan Wildflowers as well as her participation in the local pow wow since she was quite young. She also has her own beading business.
Meiyah is a graduate of the Educational Support Worker at Fleming College and she is planning on going back to Trent for her Indigenous Teacher Education degree. She hopes to be a teacher of Anishinaabemowin one day.
The Eganville Leader / Local Journalism Initiative
