Two winners of the Indigenous pageants in the Arctic captured second and third place at the Miss World Eskimo-Indian Olympics this month.
Tatiana Korthuis from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta took first place at Miss WEIO, Kotzebue’s Ronnie Huss was the first runner-up and Jenilee Donovan from Utqiagvik was the second runner-up.
Huss, who also won the Miss Arctic Circle pageant in Kotzebue, focused on Indigenous language, health and well-being.
“I feel as though language plays a large part in this because it connects us to our cultures in a way far greater than anything else can,” she said to WEIO.
[Indigenous pageants bring a sense of community and pride]
Huss was humble about winning second place.
“I felt pretty good about it, I did my best and worked hard for it, but in the end, it was Tat who really deserved it, she did such an amazing job and I’m so proud of her,” Huss said.
Ronnie Huss’ father, Micah Huss, also said he was humbled.
He said Ronnie Huss’ mother and grandmother are huge reasons for her dedication to her heritage and Alaska Native lifestyle.
“She’s had a lot of help and really does a lot with her relatives in regards to processing game and her Native lifestyle,” he said. “I’m so proud of her and what she’s accomplished. And she’s not done yet!”
Miss Top of the World, Donovan, said she did not expect to win second runner-up.
“All the contestants were so beautiful in and out,” she said. “I got to learn about their cultures and traditions and was so in awe.”
Donovan said she decided to participate in the pageant in her hometown, Utqiagvik, last minute when several people told her no one was running and encouraged her to sign up.
“It was the best decision I made though because I met so many new people who I now will probably keep in my life forever,” she said. “We were all nervous but we got to grow and learn together, so I think that was my most favorite part of this pageant.”
The experience also helped her gain confidence.
“A lot of people know me as the shy and quiet person here at home so this was a big stepping stone for me,” she said.
The support from her community and family — especially her mother — was what helped her.
“Everyone I had talked to or messaged, said they were proud,” she said. “So that gave me something I could lean on when things got difficult.”
Similarly to Miss Teen Top of the World, Donovan said she ran to encourage others to live an active and healthy lifestyle while being drug- and alcohol-free and to raise awareness of the abuse in small villages or communities. She said that after seeing substance abuse in her community growing up, she wants to show the younger generation it is possible to stay out of it.
At the pageant, she wore a muskrat parka with beaded and sewn kupaks, and a sunshine ruff made of wolf and qavik. Her mukluks were made out of black and white calfskin with a beaded floral print. She also wore a variety of atikluks made by her grandmother Evelyn Donovan.
For the talent show, she brought an empty darting gun bomb and pictures of her and her father and uncle after she killed a whale during the 2020 fall hunt.
“I wore my culture and tradition with pride,” she said. “I also wanted to go and represent the community of Barrow or Utqiagvik to show young girls in this community that anything’s possible when you put your mind to it.”