Six-year-old Makayla Jones was crowned the 2024-2025 Little Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Queen on Aug. 9. In October she and her family got to take the crown to New York City as a part of the Third Annual National Indigenous Peoples of Americas Parade, which took place on Oct. 19.
Jones is Tó’áhani and born for Tsi’naajinii. Her maternal grandfather is Tł’ááshchí’í and her paternal grandfather is Tódích’íi’nii.
HITTING THE ROAD
In an interview with the Sun, Jones’ mother Marnelda Begay explained why she and Jones wanted to travel across the country to New York City.
“We wanted to take the crown somewhere it hasn’t been before,” Begay said. “We saw an opportunity and took the moment. We had a lot of support from the community of Gallup, which was great.”
The family loaded up their car and left the Gallup area on Oct. 16 and made it to the East Coast in time for the Oct. 19 parade. The trip wasn’t all business; they took time to visit the Statue of Liberty and even took a detour to Washington D.C., where they got to see the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
“My favorite part [of the trip] was going to the Statue of Liberty,” Jones said.
She made sure to grab some Statue of Liberty souvenirs for her friends and family.
As for the parade, it serves as a way for Native American tribes from all over the Americas to represent their cultures on a national stage. Jones and Begay met a lot of people from all over the country.
“They were amazed and proud of Makayla as well when she was able to speak her own language and introduce herself in her Native tongue at her young age as well,” Begay said.
Jones was able to see a small comfort from home when she noticed the Pueblo dancers who were a part of the parade. Some of the dancers were from Zuni, while others were from different parts of the country. Begay said Jones stayed close to the dancers before and after the parade.
BECOMING LITTLE MISS CEREMONIAL
Begay said she wasn’t planning on having her daughter compete in the Little Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Queen competition until she turned 7, but Jones showed that she was ready early on.
While her older sister was preparing for her school’s pageant, Jones was right there beside her, absorbing all the information her sister was preparing. Then one day she approached Begay and recited her clans. Begay said she was generally surprised to see her young daughter state her clans.
From there, Jones competed in the Eastern Navajo Baby Princess competition in 2023. She won that title at the age of 5.
But then, when it came time to pass her title on to another little girl this year, Jones became upset, telling her mother that she “wasn’t a princess anymore.”
Not long after that, Begay entered Jones in the Little Miss Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Queen pageant. Begay said she’s had her entire family’s support, but one of her grandfathers is her biggest cheerleader.
“One of her grandpas really encouraged her to try,” Begay said. “He told her ‘Go ahead and try, it’s fine if you don’t get it, you can always try again, but at least you had that experience.’”
Begay said she could hardly believe it when they announced her daughter as the winner.
“I was overjoyed,” she said. “It was really something [where] you didn’t know who the winner was. Sometimes you’re like ‘Oh, she’s going to get it.’ But this one it was still anybody’s competition when they were announcing the winner. I was just amazed by the accomplishment my little six-year-old can do, and that it was something that she wanted to do.”
So far Jones’ reign has consisted of a lot of parades and community events, including recent Trunk or Treat events to celebrate Halloween.
Begay said they’re also hoping to get involved in Toys for Tots as the winter holidays approach.
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor