Métis woman places third at Miss Indian Pageant

Baillie Redfern competed at the annual Miss Indian World Pageant, held at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Redfern, who’s a medical student at the University of British Columbia, is Métis and was actually the first Métis woman to participate in the pageant.  

But Redfern is also blonde and light-skinned. And not only do people in the United States not know much about the Métis, but she also isn’t the picture of what many think an Indigenous person should look like.

As she was participating in the pageant, she felt like she didn’t belong.

“Who is this light-skinned Indian girl?” she’d hear from the people around her. She also saw negative comments online about her performance.

But the experience she had with the other participants gave her hope, and she returned the next year, in 2015. It was inspirational to be around all the other young women who are proud of their heritage.

And this year, Redfern (on the left in the photo below) ended up placing as the second runner up, aka third place, in the entire competition.

Hear more about Redfern’s story on the CBC, here.

Have you ever had to deal with others doubting your Indigenous identity?

Photo source: @navajotimes

Cover image source: www.gatheringofnations.com