Hadley, Tsipai crowned during Northern Navajo Fair pageant

Naa’ahóóhai | 113th Annual Northern Navajo Fair

SHIPROCK 

Leshaunie Hadley carried her late grandmother’s words onto the stage Friday night.

Hadley was crowned Miss Northern Navajo at the Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center in Shiprock after scoring 631.42 points, about two points ahead of first runner-up Reniah K. Manygoats.

Nevaeh Tsipai, a ninth-grader at Newcomb High School, was crowned the 2026-27 Miss Northern Navajo Teen with 596 points.

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After the crown was placed on her head, Hadley closed her eyes and smiled, resting one hand on the crown while holding a bouquet of red roses to her chest.

The pageant is part of the 113th Northern Navajo Fair, which runs through Sunday.

Hadley, a University of New Mexico student from Shiprock, said she first competed last year “just to do it” and finished as first runner-up. She returned this year in memory of her grandmother, who died a year ago this month.

“She was my number one motivator,” Hadley said. “She used to tell me, keep speaking Diné, keep speaking Navajo. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

A photo of Hadley and her grandmother taken in Rough Rock was displayed on her poster boards during the pageant.

Hadley said language revitalization will be a focus of her reign.

“Our language is starting to decline within the younger generation,” she said. “I do want to encourage our younger ones to start speaking again.”

She also congratulated the other contestants and said they grew close during the week of competition.

“It’s something you don’t think would happen, but it does,” she said.

Hadley also received Miss Congeniality. Manygoats was named Miss Photogenic.

Tsipai, 14, is from Two Grey Hills, New Mexico. After the teen crown was placed on her head, she kept her eyes lowered and smiled while holding a bouquet of red roses. She later introduced herself in Navajo before addressing the audience in English.

Kiara Jim of Shiprock finished as first runner-up in the teen division with 570 points and won best essay. Kimora E. Dee was second runner-up with 520 points and received Miss Congeniality.

Outgoing Miss Northern Navajo DaeShondria Dee and Miss Northern Navajo Teen Madisyn Tsinnie Redhouse crowned the new titleholders. Hadley and Tsipai each received a $1,500 educational stipend.

Dee, of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, is a first-year nursing student at Utah State University who hopes to become a neonatal intensive care nurse. She held the Miss Northern Navajo Teen title in 2022-2023 and said she promised herself she would return to compete for Miss Northern Navajo.

“I came back, I took that chance, I stepped onto this stage, and I was blessed with the opportunity to wear this crown,” Dee said.

She thanked her parents for finding ways to cover travel and clothing costs despite financial struggles. She also thanked two grandmothers from her community who gave her money for gas when they saw her.

“The crown is not about what sits on your head,” Dee said. “It is about what you carry in your heart.”

Redhouse, who turned 18 two months ago, graduated from Navajo Preparatory School in May and now studies nursing at Arizona State University. She said she plans to return home after earning her degree.

“Go out and go get your education,” she told the audience. “It doesn’t always have to be in the classroom but just go educate yourself.”

Pageant coordinator Lynelle Washburn-Henry announced Friday that the Miss Northern Navajo Teen crown, made by Jimmy Brown and worn by six titleholders, was retired with approval from the Northern Navajo Fair Board.

The new teen crown, made by silversmith Ednei Yabeny, includes elements representing the Northern Agency’s 19 chapters. Its design includes an arrowhead for protection, a corn stalk representing growth, representations of the four sacred mountains at its corners and yé’ii figures beside a Shiprock emblem at the center.

Washburn-Henry said she advocates for the pageant before the fair board each year.

“I emphasize the importance of our young women and how their development is crucial for future leadership,” she said.

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