Dakota Brant [windspeaker confidential]

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?

Dakota Brant: The reality checks! Any friend can be prepared to give you a hug and a shoulder to lean on, but strong spirited friends can help you collect your thoughts and ask you “what do you need to do to go from here?”

W.: What is it that really makes you mad?

D.B.: I am angered the most by the ignorance of the Canadian public at large as to the direct involvement of First Nations people within the foundation of this country, as well as our rights and freedoms. This country has had enough time to educate its citizens properly on what First Nations people have been through historically, where our rights stem from, our cultures and even our existence! From this time onward anger, racism and misrepresentation of our shared history based on a failure to educate Canada’s citizenship is truly the fault of Canada’s government and its lack of will to educate their own people.

W.: When are you at your happiest?

D.B.: When I wake up early in the morning to a pink and orange sunrise.

W.: What one person do you most admire and why?

D.B.: My greatest admiration goes to my late grandmother Ellie Brant; we called her “Mama”. Mama attended residential school, learned how to cook and clean, and was married and with child by the time she was 15. She raised her own nine children and many others because she was a mother and it just came as second nature to her, to love all children. After the kids were old enough, she did the first thing she ever wanted to do just for herself; she went to school. She became a psychiatric nurse because she loved to work with people. She just cared about people. Any feast or event that took place in our community, she would selflessly donate wild game from her own supply. She was also so proud to see my sisters and I gain fluency in Mohawk as her generation had lost it. In her life she never had the opportunities to travel and learn like I have had, and she stressed so much to me that I take those opportunities as they came. I owe my confidence and courage to try new things to her.

W.: What is the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to do?

D.B.: Being Miss Indian World. The position is so completely public in nature; it can become difficult to keep a calm and prepared demeanor publically when you are dealing with personal stress and losses. However, it does not take away from the absolute honour of representing your people. When you are Miss Indian World you need to prepare yourself to lead a life that may become difficult, however, it is beautiful as you are living to serve your people.

W.: What is your greatest accomplishment?

D.B.: To me accomplishments are direct impacts of hard work, and that everyone should benefit from them. While I have had some personal successes, I’ll be grey haired before I’ve truly accomplished anything.

W.: What one goal remains out of reach?

D.B.: Getting Ontario to rethink their land use plan where it doesn’t involve moving all of their development in the next 20 years from their cities, outside of their greenbelt, and directly into the small amount of pristine territory that still exists within the Haldimand Proclamation lands that rightfully belong to our Haudenosaunee people.

W.: If you couldn’t do what you’re doing today, what would you be doing?

D.B.: Slaying dragons in far off lands! Haha, seriously, me not working to do the things I do today is even more unrealistic!

W.: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

D.B.: “Being a leader is like being a lady; if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

W.: Did you take it?

D.B.: In every action I make, it’s caused me to mentally “measure twice and cut once.”

W.: How do you hope to be remembered?

D.B.: Hmm, I’ve never thought about being remembered. But I do know this, the things that we do today will one day be traditional, so the best way to be remembered is by starting some positive traditions that will benefit and bring happiness and prosperity to those unborn faces.
Teyotsihstokwathe Dakota Brant began her life on Aug. 11, 1987 on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory of Southern Ontario. Her citizenship is with the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan. She always knew she wanted a university education and a career in which she could embrace her heritage as an Onkwehonwe person.

Dakota enrolled in Indigenous Studies at Trent University. When Trent offered a new program that aligned her two interests, she changed her program to the new Indigenous Environmental Studies program, coupling her passion for the environment and interest in Indigenous culture, knowing that this was where she was meant to be. She graduated with honours in 2010.

Dakota has a healthy portfolio of awards and honours. In 2005 she served as Miss Six Nations and travelled to Belgium and France. Also in 2005 she received the CIBC World Markets Miracle Makers for excellence in volunteerism and contribution to community life. In 2008, the Women in Leadership Foundation recognized Brant as a youth Aboriginal Woman in Leadership. Since then she has been awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Youth Award and been crowned Miss Indian World.

As she finishes her duties as Miss Indian World she sets her sights on applying to graduate school. She says of her future, “My hopes are to bring my education and my new perspective back to my community to work in a community development capacity. I want to be in the environment studies field as a reminder of the innovation of Indigenous people. I want to tell others to look back and focus on those ideas, and see how it is that we re-establish them as being part of environmental sustainability and innovation in the future.”