Miss Indian Oklahoma 2024, Faithlyn Taloa Seawright, visited AP US History and Native American students during fifth and sixth hour on Oct. 31 in preparation for Native American Heritage Month.
The event opened with head principal Jason Hayes introducing himself as a Chickasaw citizen.
“That has been a very important part of my life and my family’s life,” Hayes said. “Two of my kids are in college right now and both of them make really good grades, so they receive Chickasaw grant scholarships each semester.”
The next speaker was Dr. Joshua Henson, the executive officer of the Chickasaw Nation. Henson introduced Seawright as Miss Indian Oklahoma 2024.
“[Seawright is] a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation, with Oklahoma Choctaw, Cherokee and Mississippi ancestry,” Henson said. “Her Choctaw name, Taloa, means to sing.”
Seawright has a Bachelor Fine Arts degree in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her platform as Miss Indian Oklahoma is based on language revitalization and how it’s important to keep native culture alive.
Seawright is a part of the Chickasha Academy Adult Immersion Program where she is able to learn her native language. When she completes her education, she plans on teaching the language.
“I want to give back to my community because they gave so much to me,” Seawright said.
Growing up, Seawright’s parents involved her in Chickasaw culture, but she attended a small majority non-indigenous school.
“I was bullied; I was picked on because of the color of my skin, my long hair and my passion for culture,” Seawright said. “Unbeknownst to those around me, this caused a big rift in my identity as a person, and as a Chickasaw person. I pushed away my culture in the hopes of being accepted. Despite these efforts, that didn’t work, and that’s a good thing.”
The bullying and ridicule in her life led to mental health problems for Seawright.
“This [bullying] caused me to go into a really dark place,” Seawright said. “I was still just going through the motion of going to school, facing ridicule from these people that I was supposed to call my peers. I tried to find that balance between what I called two worlds, which was the Chickasaw world and the Western world.”
Seawright went on to represent her tribe as royalty. She interacted with and befriended the royalty members of other tribes, further immersing herself in her culture.
Seawright’s grandmother was very important to her. She looked to her for guidance when she was a part of royalty. Unfortunately, her grandmother passed away. Seawright decided to learn her native culture and language in her honor.
“To honor them, I pushed myself to learn more Chickasaw,” Seawright said. “I wanted to speak the language they once spoke.”
She began to work on her ability to speak the language with a close family friend while also participating in pageants.
“I’ve won 6 princess titles, which include 2011-2013 All Nations Powwow Princess of Ada, 2013-2014 Chickasaw Junior Princess, 2015 Junior Miss Indian Oklahoma, 2017-2018 Miss Indian Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2021-2022 Chickasaw Princess, and now 2024 Miss Indian Oklahoma,” Seawright said.
As Seawright has grown up, she’s learned to embrace and love her culture more than anything.
“Our lives should not be dictated by others around [us],” Seawright said. “Because of the positive impact culture and language has had on my life, I have found my reason to be here today, to be alive.”
Seawright participates in language revitalization to help younger Chickasaw members who are facing the same things she did. She aims to help bridge the gap between the “two worlds” for those in her community.
Seawright tried for Miss Indian Oklahoma three times before winning the title.
“I can positively say that my year as Miss Indian Oklahoma has been a great year because of my hard work that started so long ago,” Seawright said.
Seawright has participated in nearly 250 events as Miss Indian Oklahoma, but events like her visit to Santa Fe are her favorite.
“I know you might hear it all the time but it’s very true, but you are never alone,” Seawright said. “You have your community, your friends, your family and your ancestors beside you. If you aren’t involved in your culture, or don’t know where to begin, start by finding out your creation story and how to say hello in your language.”
Seawright shares a message to students who are already active in their culture.
“Please don’t stop. It is important for us to do our part in keeping our culture alive,” Seawright said.
As the visit concluded, members of Santa Fe’s Native American Student Association (NASA) Amira Newsom and Madison Woodward delivered gifts to Seawright, Dr. Henson and the Mayor of Edmond, Darrell Davis.
The month of November is Native American Heritage Month. If you would like to participate in any events that NASA has planned for the month, click here.
