Beauty queen well travelled

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The new Miss Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council is enjoying her reign, travelling and making appearances at Native events around western Canada and the United States.

Lola Thunderchild, a 17-year-old from the Oak Lake Sioux Band, was crowned Miss DOTC 1993, as well as voted Miss Popularity by her fellow contestants, at this year's DOTC Winter Tribal Days in Brandon, Manitoba and has maintained quite a busy schedule ever since. Most recently, she led the Grand Entry and competed in the powwow at the Provincial Exhibition held in Brandon June 16-20.

As Miss DOTC 1993, Thunderchild represents the council and acts as hostess at all their official functions. Winning the crown enabled Thunderchild to travel to New Mexico this past April to attend and complete in what has become the world's largest powwow.

The four-day trip was one of the highlights of Thunderchild's reign and one she'll never forget.

"It was a great experience going to the world's largest powwow. I met so many people from so many different places and I learned so much in those four days, " she says. "I'll never forget it. It was a wonderful experience."

Thunderchild is a Jingle Dress dancer and has competed in many powwows, recently winning first place in the Jingle Dress competition at the Spring Powwow at the Provincial Exhibition in Brandon. The young woman just completed Grade 12 at the Virden Collegiate Institute in Manitoba and enjoys dancing, sports, school, traditional/cultural ways, travelling and meeting new people.

But life isn't all fun and games for the new beauty queen. Thunderchild plans on getting her Bachelor of Education at Brandon University, then returning to Oak Lake to teach.