Harris sisters win top spots at American Indian Beauty Pageant
A pair of sisters placed first and second in the American Indian Beauty Pageant Friday, continuing a tradition of beauty titles established by their ancestors. Presented on horseback in front of a panel of 12 judges from across the country, 18 contestants ages 14-24 vied for the top spot on Main Street prior to the Westward Ho! Parade.
The top four competitors are all from the Pendleton area and members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Anna Jane Harris, 22, took home first place, another accolade for a woman who won the 2007 Junior American Indian Beauty Pageant and was a Happy Canyon princess in 2013. After graduating from Pendleton High School with a 4.0 GPA, Anna earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Anna is currently looking at graduate schools with the intention of becoming a surgeon and enjoys riding horses and making art in her free time. Her sister, Mary Harris, 20, came in second place. Mary graduated from Blue Mountain Community College with three associate’s degrees and is currently working on a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Idaho. She was a Happy Canyon princess in 2015.
The Harris family has been participating in the Round-Up since its founding, their great-grandfather an early rider in the Indian relay race and her grandmother a previous beauty pageant winner. The grandmother lost her dress after winning the pageant, prompting Mary and her two older sisters to recreate it in her honor. Alyssa Farrow, 17, was the third place winner, following up on her win in the 2012 junior pageant. Farrow enjoys picking berries, fishing, hunting, digging roots and other traditional tribal activities A valedictorian at Nixyaawii Community School, Farrow will attend Stanford University in the fall. Tayler Leigh Craig, 20, rounded off the top four. A BMCC student and a Wildhorse Resort & Casino employee, Craig is a descendant of Chief Jim Kanine on her mother’s side and Chief Joseph on her father’s side. Craig also has several Happy Canyon princesses in her lineage and calls her horse Lane her best friend.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn88086023/2016-09-17/ed-1/seq-3.pdf