Oklahoma Native Royalty/Our Native Traditions Homecoming Edition

06/01/2026

Hello Sac and Fox tribal members, family and friends. I have to apologize for canceling the princess pageant May 31st. I had to change due to the death of my mother. Anyways, everyone is on the same page now and the date is now scheduled June 27th. Thank you for all your help. Please share, deadline will be June 26th. Hope to see you there.

05/24/2026

05/22/2026

Congratulations! Jada Lynn Phetsacksith’s Osage name is Mee-do-op-pe, meaning Sun That is Looked At. She is a member of the Sun Carrier clan and comes from the Zon-Zo-Li district. She is graduating on Monday, May 18, 2026, from Jenks High School. She is a proud member of the Wah-Zha-Zhi Nation and is currently serving as the 2025 Osage Nation Princess.

Jada is a descendant of Henry Pratt, the first Head Committeeman for the Zon-Zo-Li district and Mah-seh-no-pi, the first Zon-Zo-Li Tail-dancer. Her great-great-grandparents were the late Walter and Helen Matin of Hominy and the late John and Josephine Coshehe of Nelagoney. She is the great-granddaughter of the late John A. Fields and Lenora Matin Fields, as well as the late Mary Rose Coshehe Holding, Homer and Francis Oberly Holding, Jr. Her grandmother is Marsha Holding and the late David Holding of Hominy, and her parents are Khamp and January Phetsacksith of Jenks. She has one older brother, Jamon, one older sister, Jasmine, and two younger sisters, Jillian and Julie.

At Jenks High School, she was a member of the Native American Club serving as the Club President her Senior year. She was awarded 4th place for her Senior Art Portfolio from the Young Talent in Oklahoma, which earned her an honor cord for All-State in Art.

After graduation, Jada will attend the Kansas City Art Institute, where she was awarded a generous merit scholarship based on her academic and art accomplishments. Her family is extremely proud of her accomplishments and is excited for her future endeavors.

05/21/2026

Congratulations to Chickasaw citizen Gabrielle Nucosee on her selection as Miss Native American ECU 2026–27 by the Native American Student Association (NASA) at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

Ms. Nucosee, a freshman mass communication major at ECU, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for receiving top honors at the second annual NASA Princess Pageant, which judged contestants on regalia, onstage talent, onstage question, stage presence and congeniality.

We wish her success as she represents the university and her tribal community as Miss Native American ECU.

05/13/2026

📣 The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund (ITF) opens for applications on May 20, 2026!

Native youth are cultivating thriving communities. We're honored to invite you into what they're growing.

Over the past year, Native youth leaders aged 14–24 came together through listening sessions, visioning circles, and participatory design experiences to answer a shared question: What do you believe your community needs to thrive?

Their dreams and visions author this fund.

In 2026, ITF will move $1,650,000 to Native-led and Native-serving organizations across the U.S. and its territories — offering three tiers of grants: $25K, $65K, and $100K, with every funding decision made by Native youth.

We will invest in five youth-authored bundles of community thriving:
✨ Maintaining the Life Cycle of Balance: Culture, ceremony, and language as sovereignty. Youth as culture carriers.
✨ Intergenerational Knowledge & Relationships: Youth, adults, and Elders woven together. Building strong relationships is the work.
✨ Healing: Holistic, culturally informed care that nourishes the whole self — body, mind, and spirit.
✨ Nurturing That Which Nourishes Us: Indigenous foodways, lands, and waters as one living system. Youth learning how to care for and protect the system.
✨ Building Power & Activating Abundance: Sovereignty, leadership, and the resources Native communities need to thrive.

We welcome applications from Native-led and Native-serving 501c3 organizations, Tribal Nations-affiliated initiatives, and fiscally sponsored projects of 501c3 organizations, where Native youth, especially those under 18, are central to the work you do.

For more information about the Indigenous Tomorrows Fund 2026 grant cycle, read the full Request for Proposals: nativephilanthropy.org/blog/upcoming-itf26

The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund is a powerful collaboration between Native Americans in Philanthropy and our funder partners: Newman’s Own Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and private donors.

05/13/2026

Congratulations to Senior Brenli Bible on being selected as the Indian Education Student of the Year Award recipient! Brenli has earned this honor through her outstanding dedication to both her academics and her cultural heritage. Throughout the past year, she has been a vital part of the program by helping with activities and proudly representing the Frontier Inter-Tribal Youth Leadership Program.

Brenli attends tribal events throughout neighboring tribes and across Oklahoma, always representing Frontier Schools, FITYL, and her family with pride and respect. She will continue her reign as the FITYL Princess until this coming November.

This fall, Brenli will attend The University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in the medical field. We are incredibly proud of Brenli and look forward to seeing all the amazing things she will accomplish in the future.

05/11/2026

05/08/2026