By Erica Thompson -

While double majoring in Communication and American Indian Studies, Shanoa Pinkham represented her tribe holding two titles at one time – Miss Yakama Nation and Miss Indian Nations.

Growing up in Lynnwood, Pinkham did not have a lot of connection to her Yakama tribe until her family moved onto the reservation for a couple of years when she was in middle school.

“My parents told (my siblings and me) that we needed to know who we were and learn that side of ourselves,” Pinkham said. “In middle school we started getting more involved in our traditions, and throughout high school our parents started telling us more about treaty history and sovereignty, which are really important. I just started having more questions as I grew up.”

When she came to the University of Washington, Pinkham said it felt natural to meet other Native Americans and get involved in any way she could. She became the American Indian Student Commission director at ASUW for a year and was a part of First Nations, where she helped coordinate the annual powwow and other events during November, which is Native American Heritage Month. Pinkham’s mother, father and older brother all went to the UW, so coming here seemed logical.

After living in Seattle for a couple years, competing for the titles was a way for Pinkham to bring her experiences from off the reservation back to her community in Yakama. She was able to see distinctions between the education systems, the concept of tradition and more generally how people interact.

“Traveling outside and coming back home and seeing the differences is what really gave me strength,” Pinkham said. She held the Miss Yakama Nation title from June 2011 to June 2012 and the Miss Indian Nations title from September 2011 to September 2012, handing it off just before the school year started.

“I don’t usually like calling it a princess thing, it’s more like an ambassadorship. At least that’s how (our tribe) tries to establish it amongst our youth,” Pinkham said. “It’s just a really good opportunity to be a role model and a leader for Native American youth, advocating against alcoholism and teen suicide, and just empowering the next generation in their culture and their identity and in higher education.”

Teen suicide and alcoholism are prevalent among Native Americans and “kids fall through the cracks of the system,” Pinkham said. Native American children are overrepresented in the foster care system and they often feel out of place.

“When they can’t feel like themselves, it really negatively affects the kids,” Pinkham said. “They turn to things like alcohol or things that aren’t helpful for their daily life or well-being.”

Whether these habits are caused by systematic oppression or intergeneration trauma, Pinkham said knowing about her culture is crucial in overcoming these pressures.

“(My family) saw cultural knowledge being integral to that whole process of making sure things like the stereotypes, the misinformation, or history classes didn’t deter us or get us down,” Pinkham said. “I’m not going to lie, when you learn about colonization, it’s really painful and frustrating at first, especially for Native Americans.”

Pinkham used this passion for her culture to become who she is today.

“It’s important for me to be involved in my culture, not just for the fact that you never see Natives in the media or represented, or completely invisible in almost everything around us, but simply because that external environmental factor is still there,” she said. “But so long as you know who you are, it’s confidence building and self-esteem building.”

Meeting people who share Pinkham’s passion was vital in her journey. In high school, she met Daniel Hart, professor and director of Native Voices, when he presented his projects at the Ethnic Cultural Center. Native Voices is a graduate program in the Department of Communication that has produced award-winning Native American documentaries for more than 10 years. Previewing his films changed her original path of wanting to be a pre-science major in college.

“One of the reasons I’m really passionate and interested in communication studies and Indian American studies is this idea of storytelling and how that is so powerful, both educationally and sending out a message and inspiring people into action,” Pinkham said.

As part of her platform with her titles, Pinkham referenced the UW and Native Voices to others and expressed her interest in filmmaking. She also does work with a film company called Longhouse Media, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that reaches out to indigenous communities, and Red Eagle Soaring, a Native youth theater.

Although Pinkham hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to do after graduation, she knows she wants to continue working with the Native American community. Whether that’s with the Native Voices program, combining her passion with her interests in media studies, film, and storytelling or working with kids, there is no doubt Pinkham will use everything she learned as Miss Yakama Nation and Miss Indian Nations to make a difference.

“My parents always told me education is like a door and when you go outside in the real world you have to be able to bring the best part of who you are there, and then…back to your community,” Pinkham said.