Miss Indian BYU Pageant Canceled

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    By Jessica Witt

    The Miss Indian BYU pageant was cancelled this year and the reasons behind that decision are still unclear.

    The Tribe of Many Feathers Club decided to call off the pageant just two weeks prior to its scheduled date, disappointing applicants who had prepared for hours. The president and vice president of the club said not enough applicants met the qualifications in order for them to host a pageant.

    The cancellation was met with controversy, however, and the decision to cancel was not unanimous. Some question the clarity of the stated qualifications, and although they said they couldn?t give all of the details on the issue, the Tribe of Many Feathers council alluded to deeper reasons for the decision.

    ?The application was not as specific as it should have been,? said Miss Indian BYU 2006, Farina Smith, part of the council that made the decision. ?When they say they aren?t qualified, I couldn?t really agree with that.?

    According to the application, some of the qualifications include status as a Native American female, tribal affliation, completion of 50 service hours and active participation in the Tribe of Many Feathers club.

    She said, among other issues, it was unclear if they had to prove their tribal affiliation or by when the service hours had to be completed by.

    The lack of qualified applicants may not be the only reason for the pageant?s cancellation, however.

    Lata Sitake, an applicant for the pageant this year, said the council gave her other reasons that she cannot disclose.

    ?I think they know that they made a not very good decision and they are trying to hide it, that it wasn?t good for the students or they are trying to save face,? Sitake said.

    After a meeting where officers informed applicants about the cancellation, Sitake remained unsatisfied and requested more information. Sitake said the only reason she got a ?clear cut? answer was because she pressed the council hard.

    ?They made me promise not to tell anyone though,? she said.

    Sitake cited a complaint or threat that had been made that affected the decision to cancel the pageant.

    ?They did get some negative feedback from people and it brought feelings of frustration and probably even fear, and to me, that is going overboard, ? said LaVay Talk, advisor for the Tribe of Many Feathers club.

    While the advisor couldn?t specifically elaborate on the feedback they received, she said it is for the benefit and safety of students involved.

    ?We wanted it to be a good experience for everyone and it started to become not,? LaVay Talk said. ?It is better that we said ?OK? it?s not going to happen,? not like this.??

    After deciding to cancel the pageant, the council made plans to host a Native American showcase that the applicants could participate in. There was a lack of interest from the applicants, so there will be no showcase and the club will fulfill Miss Indian BYU?s responsibilities in other ways.

    Smith said the applicants are disappointed with the decision, especially considering the work they put into preparing for it ? the service hours they had done and, preparing their talent performances. Parents had bought plane tickets. One applicant even had her dress shipped from Canada.

    ?I wanted to try to have it, I wanted to see if there was a way,? she said. ?It was very hard for me ? I cried, but I can?t say that I am the only one, the council members did too.?

    While the pageant will not take place this year, a decision has not been made in regards to future pageants.

    ?The decision [to bring the pageant back] will be made by the council, when it is up to them,? Shauntel Talk said.

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