Mrs. Universe win puts indigenous issues in the spotlight

[downtoearth]

Did we talk about this? I was super moved that the first things she said were political - and about the racism that is inherent everywhere, especially in Canada and the US.

Ashley Callingbull's Mrs. Universe win puts indigenous issues in the spotlight

Enoch councillor praises beauty pageant winner for discussing aboriginal issues in media

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ashley-callingbull-s-mrs-universe-win-puts-indigenous-issues-in-the-spotlight-1.3210658

Callingbull wore a jingle dress, common during pow-wow dances, and sang a traditional Cree song for the talent competition. Callingbull raised her pageant profile in 2010 after winning the Miss Canada title as the only contestant from a First Nation. She calls her latest win a blow against stereotypes. (Tatyana Zenkovich/EPA)

The crowning of a Cree woman as the winner of the 2015 Mrs.Universe pageant is more than just a personal victory — it's a chance to help confront some of the issues facing indigenous people in Canada, according to one band councillor.

Ashley Callingbull, 25, made history as the first First Nations woman and the first Canadian to win the Mrs. Universe competition when she was crowned in Belarus this weekend.

"We couldn't be prouder of Ashley," said Nola Wanuch, a councillor on Alberta's Enoch Cree Nation, where Callingbull grew up. "She was showing the world what we are about."

Callingbull has received intense media attention following her win — an opportunity she is using to discuss her life growing up in poverty on the reserve near Edmonton.

While it might be the first time the world has heard her story, Wanuch said, Ashley has long used her childhood as a way to inspire others on the reserve. She spent time as an instructor at performing arts program for Enoch students, and has remained a donor to the arts since leaving the area.

"She had a rapport with a lot of the young students, specifically the young ladies," Wanuch said. "She was one they found a trust in."

Wanuch said Callingbull is now using interviews to bring international attention to the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada, as well as the lasting legacy of residential schools.

Cree heritage

"I think having her as an advocate will definitely bring it to the forefront," she said. "She is definitely not afraid to speak out and tell you where she stands."

Callingbull had talked about wanting to use the pageant as a chance to showcase her Cree heritage. During the pageant parade, she wore a specially designed jingle-dress. In the talent competition, she wore a buckskin dress and chose to sing a traditional song.

Wanuch said the band is planning to hold a celebration the next time Callingbull returns to visit the nation.

"You win something like that, there's no better moment than … to celebrate it with your community."

Before the main event, contestants toured Minsk and gave interviews. The theme of the pageant this year was battling domestic violence and child abuse. Callingbull, who overcame sexual and physical abuse, says she was motivated to help others dealing with the same pain. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

 

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She is kick-ass. I love her.

Also, she is gorgeous: