Miss Indian Arizona seeks to culturally educate

Taylor Tailbi’ Denzhoone’ Susan holds delicate, yet powerful, childhood memories of her grandmother, Lucille Willie.

Often during each two-month summer break from school, Susan (White Mountain Apache and Walker River Paiute) and her older sister and younger brother would stay with Willie at her nearby home on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

Those months were endearing to Susan, who would run around and play games in the front yard, go for hikes in the nearby White Mountains and walk among the enclosing pine trees, collecting flowers for their grandmother’s home. On clear evenings, the three of them would lay on Willie’s trampoline, eyes to the sky.

Over those years, with encouragement from her parents, Anne and Lloyd Susan, and also through her grandmother’s teachings and example, Susan would learn about the importance of environmental protections, the value of higher education and the need to maintain a spiritual connection to her culture.

So, when she decided to compete in the Miss Indian Arizona pageant during her junior year at the University of Arizona, she chose for her platform an emphasis on nurturing connections with elders and recognizing the contributions they have made.

After winning the 54th Miss Indian Arizona in October, Susan said that her title does not belong to her. She said it belongs to each of the 22 tribal nations in Arizona — and to her grandmother.

"My family helped me to understand that the title is one of the most prestigious in the state. And, once crowned, it is not the title that makes the person, the title reveals who you are," said Susan, a political science senior who is planning on advanced studies in either environmental law or chemistry.

After being named the 2014-2015 Miss Native American UA titleholder, Susan served as an ambassador to American Indian populations on campus, working to help such students feel a stronger connection to the University.

Now, as Miss Indian Arizona, she is extending that work statewide, with a focus on communicating the contributions of tribal members and also the unique challenges faced by tribal nations and indigenous peoples living on and off reservations.

In speaking about her title and platform, Susan returns to her grandmother, whose life history tells of a different time.

The upbringing of Willie, born and raised within the boundaries of the White Mountain Apache Reservation, spanned significant historic events: the Great Depression, World War II, the establishment of tribal colleges. And, among other things, drastic changes in the support and governance of tribal nations across the country.

"We have always looked to her as a valuable resource to our family," Susan said of her grandmother.

"It comes as a natural instinct that you respect someone who has taken care of you or protected you," she said. "Our elders are the treasures of our communities. They hold so much knowledge about our people, our histories, our language, our dances. We must grasp that knowledge and guidance."

In recent years, Willie has begun to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Sometimes, she will say to Susan, "Tell me your name again."

Susan said she has a responsibility to be an ambassador and to culturally educate a statewide community.

"She didn’t have a lot of the opportunities that I have, and it makes me realize that I have the best of both worlds," Susan said. "I’ve been so happy to have someone like her to guide me through life."

Also, because she is invested in a career that melds an understanding of policy and law with that of a specialization in some element of environmental sciences, Susan said she envisions a career in which she can adopt her grandmother’s teachings to help protect and preserve native culture and language while contributing to the prosperity of native and indigenous peoples.

Her grandmother "would always tell me that the only thing that would protect our family, our culture, our language, myself and, most importantly, our environment is education," Susan said.

"We are the generation that represents the possibility, the opportunities and change, and we are creating more for a future generation. It is not an option but a necessity to communicate on the things.”