Miss Navajo Nation contest reflects shift from two worlds to one title
Navajo Times | Sharon Chischilly
Miss Navajo Nation contestant JoAnni Begay of Pinedale, N.M., uses a knife to remove the hide from a sheep during the sheep-butchering competition Sept. 7 at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds in Window Rock during the 74th Annual Miss Navajo Nation Pageant.
WINDOW ROCK
When Diyin Dine’é created woman, she was created to represent the earth, the air, the water and the fire.
The water she carries flows in her, and from it she creates life. From her life-giving milk she feeds her children, the way the earth feeds its own with piñon and berries. Her mind is rain. Her shoulders are mountains.
These are the teachings Rita Gilmore said she was taught and lives by today.
“Éí átʼé dánhiłni,” she said Wednesday during a phone interview.
Gilmore is a traditional practitioner who has performed ceremonies since she was 12. She has worked for the Navajo Nation for about 25 years and is now with Navajo Nation Behavioral Health Services.
To read the full article, please see the Sept. 10, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow