World peace and butchered sheep
Miss Navajo contestants compete

Janene Yazzie dresses out her sheep Tuesday at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds in Window Rock during the traditional events portion of the Miss Navajo Nation contest. [Photo by Jeremy Schneider/Independent]

By Pamela G. Dempsey
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The fires were hot, the knives sharp, and the water boiling as this year's Miss Navajo Nation contenders readied themselves for the butchering competition early Tuesday morning.

This day was designated for traditional events in the three-day long Miss Navajo Nation Pageant.

The contestants aprons tied tight around their long skirts and Wal-Mart bags over their moccasins huddled in two's around a sheep.

As each duo struggled to rope the legs of their sheep together, the outgoing Miss Navajo Nation Jannalee Atcitty stood nearby, looking on.

"This is our culture here," she said. "This is the foundation of who we are as people."

Atcitty knows first-hand what the contestants were going through. Butchering sheep has become a favored event for spectators of the annual pageant and one Atcitty participated in as she vied for last year's crown.

"It's not something that can be taken out of the pageant," she said. "It's a vital part of who we are as a Navajo people."

Judges walked among the pairs as each began to slice the neck, separate muscle and skin, and clean out internal organs. Fires burned nearby in anticipation of the blue corn mush and frybread that was to come. A luncheon to feature the fresh mutton was planned later in the day at President Joe Shirley's house for judges, contestants, and pageant volunteers.

Tuesday marked the last day as Atcitty's reign.

"Last year, I was kneeling down," she said, pointing to a set of girls working on their sheep. "I couldn't believe I was part of the pageant."

It was, she said, a dream come true.

Atcitty's reign included a trip to Amsterdam, where she participated in a worldwide tourism convention and garnered much attention and interest from locals.

"The Dutch were very curious," she said. "Some thought we still live in teepees."

Atcitty also was featured in Arizona' Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix, reportedly the first Miss Navajo Nation to ever be invited.

While these experiences stand out in her mind, Atcitty said she would most miss working with the children.

During her reign, Atcitty implemented a children's reading program.

Under her initiative, she spent one day a week reading culturally-relevant stories to children. To aid her presentations, Atcitty even had a family of puppets created.

Most of the puppet family great-grandparents, Masni and Gilbert Yazzie, mother Hattie and father Toley were named after Atcitty's own family; however, the kids, a mischievous girl name Betty and a more morally-conscience boy named Johnny, were not.

She said she hoped the next Miss Navajo would continue the reading program.

"All I ask is the next Miss Navajo Nation bring their own uniqueness to the program and make it special," she said.

And it's not something a Miss Navajo Nation can do on her own.

"It's we, not I," she said.

With Atcitty's family several hours away in Utah, she said she became close with the staff, who helped her through the year's tough times, like when her grandmother passed away.

"They helped who I am to be better every single day," she said.

For the future Miss Navajo Nation's out there, it's never too early.

Atcitty said she remembered meeting Miss Navajo Nation when she was 6-years old and since then, she started preparing.

Her grandmother taught her to butcher when she was 7-years old and because of that, Atcitty said she had no trouble when it came to that portion of the pageant.

"It's a good experience being Miss Navajo Nation," she said.

Even if she had not won the crown, Atcitty said she was proud that she was able to showcase her traditional skills, knowledge, and talent throughout last year's pageant the things she was taught by her grandmother.

"Be prepared for it at all costs," she advised future contestants. "You're a role model. We want somebody girls of the Navajo Nation can look up to."

However, if any future contestants lie in Atcitty's own family, she may have second thoughts.

"I wouldn't know what to say if I had a daughter who wanted to run for Miss Navajo Nation," Atcitty said. "It takes (a huge) amount of dedication and can't be accomplished alone."

The coronation of the new Miss Navajo Nation will be held Wednesday evening at the Diné Education Center. Tickets are $15 and includes dinner.