ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Codi High Elk was a shy teenager most comfortable caring for horses on her family’s ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation when she threw away an application to compete in a new pageant for Indigenous women — an application her brother fished out of the trash, sending her on a path to becoming the first Miss Indian World.
That was in 1984, when High Elk remembers letting her six older siblings do most of the talking and wanting no part in a competition that required public speaking. But the event that transformed her from shy teen to an ambassador for her people has come to an end.
“From the day I got my crown, my life changed,” said High Elk, who credits her time as Miss Indian World with giving her the confidence to pursue two degrees and a career expanding credit access for Lakota people. “I want that same opportunity for my granddaughters.”…