A World Made by Women B


urnham became a motiva- tional speaker, visiting rural in- digenous communities to talk about her life. She discovered, “When I talk about [being physically and sexually abused]


at schools, there are always kids who come up to me in private and share that they are going through it and didn’t know that other people are going through it too. I give them hope. Even though I am over it, it will always be with me. I can react positively or negatively. I have grown to love myself instead of going down the wrong path. You can’t let it consume you. I am not afraid anymore.” She has brought this fearlessness to her


political action. In January 2013, she helped organize an Idle No More event promoting First Nations sovereignty and environmental issues at the West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping center in North America. She spoke to the mall owners beforehand who allowed the organizers to hold a peaceful rally, grand entry and round dance inside the shopping center; more than 2,000 people attended. She has been involved with numerous


charities promoting health, wellness, women’s rights and youth mentorship from a young age. At her home base on the Six Nations Reserve, she works with the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation that supports issues affecting First Nations people,


especially


through the development of future commu- nity leaders. But in the Mrs. Universe pageant, Burnham


chose to highlight her work with the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women campaign in Canada. The pageant does not have a swim- suit competition, and it evaluates delegates on their philanthropy. The contestants must be married women between the ages of 25 to 45 with a history of charitable work in their home countries. The pageant’s 2015 theme focused on combatting domestic violence. During the pageant’s procession of na-


tional outfits, Burnham wore a jingle dress in the colors of the Canadian flag, red and white, with motifs of the maple leaf designed by Dabney Warren (Cree). For the talent com- petition, Burnham sang a round-dance song and played a hand drum. She later explained to the CBC’s Saskatoon Morning show that she purposely chose that outfit and talent, because she “want[ed] to represent our [Native] cul- ture properly, in the right way.”


SOME PEOPLE COMPLAINED THAT BURNHAM WAS BEING “TOO POLITICAL” AND THAT SHE SHOULD NOT CRITICIZE THE CANADIAN GOV- ERNMENT. SHE REPLIED ON TWITTER, “I HAVE A TITLE, A PLATFORM AND A VOICE TO MAKE CHANGE AND BRING AWARENESS TO FIRST NATIONS ISSUES HERE IN CANADA. I’M GETTING ALL THIS MEDIA ATTENTION AND I’M GOING TO USE IT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. I’M NOT YOUR TYPICAL BEAUTY QUEEN.”


But after her crowning, wearing a melon-


colored evening gown designed by Joey Galon, she plunged back into activism. The day after her win, Burnham took to her Twit- ter account to post, “I urge all First Nations people in Canada to vote in this upcoming election [on October 19th


]. We are in desper-


ate need of a new PM [Prime Minister]. Fight for your rights.” Some people complained that Burnham


was being “too political” and that she should not criticize the Canadian government. She replied on Twitter, “I have a title, a platform and a voice to make change and bring aware- ness to First Nations issues here in Canada. I’m getting all this media attention and I’m going to use it to the best of my ability. I’m not your typical beauty queen. Look out…I have a voice for change and I’m going to use it!” Her political statement stemmed from


a November 2014 television interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in which he said that the issue of murdered and missing Aboriginal women “isn’t really high on our radar, to be honest.” Yet the Royal Canadian Mounted Police released a report that year that 1,017 aboriginal women in Canada had been murdered and another 164 were miss- ing under suspicious circumstances between 1980 and 2012. The report also revealed that “while aboriginal women represent just 4.3 percent of Canada’s female population, they represent 16 percent of female homicide vic- tims and 11 percent of missing persons cases involving women.” After returning to Canada amid throngs of


reporters, Burnham spoke on September 9 at the launch of the “Who Is She” campaign that


will raise money for a judicial inquiry into the unsolved cases of murdered and missing Aboriginal women. Since the Canadian gov- ernment declined to hold a public inquiry, the Chiefs of Ontario (a political forum for collective decision-making and advocacy for the 133 First Nations communities in On- tario) created a task force led by First Nations people. Burnham told the crowd and report- ers, “if I won, I was going to address a lot of First Nations issues, because we need to be heard, and for years, people have been talking about these issues to the media, but the media doesn’t care to show it. We are not as impor- tant. But when I got that title, when I got that attention, I opened my mouth and I said a lot of things that shocked people. “But now that I’m speaking up and that I


have this attention, I am going to keep speak- ing for our sisters that were stolen from us and I am going to keep fighting for justice because that is what is right.” Burnham’s calendar is nearly full through


December 2016, but she will not stop her charitable work or visits to rural First Na- tions communities. Burnham understands the hectic and exhausting work before her, but she persists with joy. “There is such a huge ste- reotype on First Nations people that we can’t succeed, we can’t make it big-time, but I did. I made history,” she says. “Anyone can do that too, they just have to stop the fear from hold- ing them back.” X Follow Ashley Callingbull Burnham on Twitter @AshCallingbull.


Anya Montiel (Tohono O’odham/Mexican), a frequent contributor to American Indian, is a doctoral candidate at Yale University.


SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 41


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