Rosalind Shepherd, from Whitebear First Nation, has been entering princess pageants at Pow Wows since she was 14 and is following in the footsteps of her princess mom and princess sister.
The competitions she enters involve interviews, dancing and public speaking.In April she was crowned 2012 Miss First Nation University of Canada Princess, and has been travelling since. She will spend a lot of her summer attending Pow Wows across Canada and the U.S with her family, but will spend the rest of her time back home.She was scheduled to enter the competition for Miss Indian at The Gathering of Nations, the most prominent Pow Wow in the world and was disappointed when the rules insisted girls who had already acquired a crown that year could not compete."I would still say the Gathering of Nations was my favourite Pow Wow," she said cheerfully. "There are so many different dancers there that you won't see anywhere in Canada. They don't come down here very often.""I am happy to be home in White Bear for the summer," explained the young princess." But I will be traveling around Saskatchewan as well."The quiet, well mannered young lady has a passion for dancing, and a strong belief in a good education."I love dancing, I have done it ever since I can remember. My mom signed me up at a young age and I haven't stopped since."After finishing her first year in the University of Regina Arts and Culture program, Shepherd will be switching to Anthropology for the fall semester."If you count school as a hobby, it's one of my favourites."The teen recently spoke to youth in White Bear First Nation, to display a positive influence, and show kids what a little hard work can result in.
