Blackfoot woman places second

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This year's Miss Indian World first runner-up, named at the Gathering of Nations powwow, is none other than Calgary's Ivy Kim Scott.

The 25-year-old daughter of the Blackfoot Confederacy's Piikani First Nation came within two points of being crowned Miss Indian World. That award went to Delana Smith, Ojibwe, of Red Lake Nation, Minnesota.

To a standing-room-only, cheering crowd of thousands at University of New Mexico's cavernous "The Pit", Scott racked up so many wins in pageant performance categories that she could barely see over the trophies heaped upon her. In addition to her being named first runner-up at the April 24 awards ceremony, she came out with highest marks in the "interview" and "public speaking" categories of the competition.

"I think my experience at this level of competition really helped me out," said Scott, explaining she had handled performance pressure years ago when crowned Miss Indian Canada at the 2001 Canadian Competition Powwow in Edmonton. No subsequent Miss Indian Canada pageant has been held and so she still holds the title.

The quick-thinking, well-spoken fancy dancer dressed in vibrant red remained calm and collected through her nerve-jangling interview before a panel of five judges, and in her public speaking "impromptu question-answering" session.

According to Scott: "The entire experience at the Gathering of Nations was, in a word, phenomenal. I was amazed by the positive attitudes and goals of the girls around me. The girl beside me might be sharing some of her traditional knowledge, like demonstrating the traditional way to stone-grind corn, and then you learn she's a surgeon.

"The talent and drive of these women gives me a very good feeling about the future of our Indian people."

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in psychology and Native American Studies and works in Calgary as an educator. For her "talent" presentation, she discussed the importance of play in the development of Blackfoot children.

"There's a stereotype about the Indian as a stoic, emotionless creature. I wanted to break that down and show how loving, humorous and wise my people are. I talked about how children were given child-sized tipis, bows and arrows, and dolls so they could practice with them for when they grew older and went on real hunts, or had real babies. My family helped me make miniature models of the real things so I could show examples of these toys."

As Miss Indian Canada, before she retires her title, Scott said "it was a goal of mine to take the natural step from there and try for Miss Indian World. I wanted to do it so I could show the youth in my community that there is so much more out in the world. Life doesn't end with the reserve border. The sky's the limit."

Scott also pointed out that the Miss Indian World differs from other "beauty" pageants because it's based more on knowledge than physical attributes.

"Check out the history of this pageant. You'll see all kinds of shapes and sizes, heights and skin colors. It's about taking pride in your culture and sharing your knowledge of it with the world."