Damaris Yazzie, Riley Manuel crowned at Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial

CHURCH ROCK, N.M.

Damaris Yazzie thought she would take a longer break from pageant life.

Instead, the 22-year-old from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, left Red Rock Park Friday evening wearing the crown of the 2026-27 Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Queen.

Yazzie received the crown from outgoing queen Tewakeedah Martin during the 103rd annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, capping a week of competition that tested contestants on talent, traditional knowledge, essays and public speaking.

The former Miss Northern Navajo 2024-25 said she nearly sat out the pageant.

“With the deadline coming up, I just thought I’d try it,” Yazzie said. “I had a lot of fun as Miss Northern Navajo.”

Yazzie is Kin Łichíi’ii and born for Áshįįhí. Her maternal grandfather is Táchii’nii and her paternal grandfather is Tó’aheedlíinii.

Yazzie’s platform, lifelong learning through cultural pride, grew from her own path back to the classroom. A biology major at San Juan College in Farmington, she said she did not follow the traditional route of enrolling straight out of high school.

“It did take me some time to get back into college,” she said.

Yazzie wants to connect with young people who have faced similar challenges and speak about the role community colleges and tribal colleges can play in bringing graduates home to serve their communities, including “how we can find a way to bridge our cultural traditions with our educational learning.”

Wearing the colors of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples movement, Yazzie said the crisis extends beyond tribal lines and is a cause she intends to carry into her reign.

“As Indigenous people, we need to watch out for all Indigenous peoples, and that includes all men, children and women,” she said.

She said she plans to offer traditional food demonstrations and travel to neighboring tribal nations “to not only learn from them but to also share part of our Navajo culture.”

First runner-up Josephine Bitsui, whose tribal affiliations are Navajo, Mexican and Skidi Band Pawnee, finished with 794 of 1,000 points and earned the best essay and best personality photo awards. Yazzie was named Miss Photogenic.

In the Little Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial pageant, Riley Manuel of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, from Dulce, New Mexico, was crowned the 2026-27 Little Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial.

Should Yazzie be unable to complete her reign, Bitsui would be offered the title.

Yazzie credited her fellow contestant with helping her through the long commutes and early mornings of pageant week.

“She just knew how to bring you out of that slump,” Yazzie said.

Yazzie, the daughter of Eleanor and Ethan Yazzie, received a floral shawl, pottery, flowers and a carrier for her crown.

During the next year, Yazzie will serve as the ceremonial’s official ambassador at parades, cultural events, educational programs and public appearances throughout the region.

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