Shenoa
“Being a woman means being a part of the vital leadership that helps to ensure the survival of our traditions and ways of life. A woman brought us into the world, nurtured us, set goals for us, soothed us, and taught us important lessons about responsibility, accountability, and empathy.”
Shenoa is versatile, brave, and fiercely independent. Growing up in a traditional Native household, she was able to master a multitude of skills from a young age, including taking care of livestock, hunting, cooking, and building fires. Her willingness to try her hand at any new challenge or experience led her to compete in and win multiple Native pageants, being the first Navajo woman to be crowned Miss Indian New Mexico Teen. Although she has faced backlash and peer judgement at times, she has pushed through the negativity and chosen to focus on the good, using her voice and platform to change the narrative surrounding Native title holders. Meet Shenoa. This is her story.
Photo by Kim Jew
K: Please introduce yourself!
S: Yá'át'ééh shik'éi dóó shidíne'é. Shí éí Shenoa Jones yinishyé. Ádóone'é nishlínígií éí Tł'ááshchí'í nishłí, Bit'ahnii báshíshchíín, Tó'aheedlíinii dashicheii, áádóó Ta'neeszahnii éí dashinálí. Ákót'éego éí ch'ikééh nishłí.
Greetings my relatives and everyone. My name is Shenoa Jones. I am from the Red Streak clan, born for the Leaf People. My maternal grandfather's clan is the Water Flowing Together Clan. My paternal grandfather's clan is the Tangled clan. I am Navajo (Din4) coming from the Navajo Nation which is located in three different states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah).
Photo by Shady Bear Photography
K: Describe yourself in your own words
S: It’s sort of difficult to describe myself due to the fact I am always thinking about others and their well-being. I grew up in a traditional household where we had no running water or electricity, and Navajo was my first language. Every weekend I would attend traditional ceremonies with my family. Every day I was awakened before the sun came up to run towards the east and I would say a prayer to our holy beings. After I came back from my run, I would feed our livestock which consist of horses, sheep, goats, cows, and bulls. I would haul water for the animals and for us to drink, wash dishes, etc. This is how I grew up and today I try my best to help out at home on weekends while being in school and living away from home. This is how I would describe myself, hardworking, determine, focus, discipline, open minded and warm hearted.
Photo by Shady Bear Photography
K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
S: My favorite thing about myself is the different abilities I have, meaning I am not helpless. I can hunt if need and I can butcher a sheep, deer and elk. I can chop wood and build a fire. Basically, I can cook. I know how to prepare for a ceremony that happens back at home. I know how to care for livestock. This not to brag about myself. These are skill I absorbed while growing up and were taught to me. This is my favorite thing about myself, I am willing to learn new skills and make it a part of my life.
Photo by Shady Bear Photography
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
S: There were many experiences in my life that defined me, and those experiences were when I ran for Native or Indigenous titles. In other words, they are Native pageants. I had the honor of holding four titles in my life. The titles that I hold dear to my heart are Miss Indian New Mexico Teen III and Miss Indian New Mexico LII. These titles made me stronger as a person because I was the first Navajo to hold the Miss Indian New Mexico Teen title and the first person to hold both titles. There is positivity holding a Native title but there is also the negative. I’ve heard it all, “you’re not good enough”, “you don’t even speak your language”, “you only doing it for the glitz and glamor”, “you only doing it for the attention”, etc. Through these pageants and titles, I was able to build a thick skin and create a voice for Native title holders, my people, my family but most important myself. I was able to define these certain issues in a professional type of way instead of arguing or creating controversy. These titles made me stronger and defined who I am today.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
S: One piece of advice I would give my younger self is “go for it.” Be a part of the student council, join the debate team, run track, join the volleyball club. Don’t be scared, don’t be shy and just go for it because later in life you will regret it. Go beyond what the world expects. The world sees Natives as a stereotype. That we are savages, drunks, wear headdresses all the time, live in tepees and talk to animals. Go against the odds and show people who you really are and where you come from. Be proud of who you are and where you come from.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
S: Being a woman means being a part of the vital leadership that helps to ensure the survival of our traditions and ways of life. A woman brought us into the world, nurtured us, set goals for us, soothed us, and taught us important lessons about responsibility, accountability, and empathy. As our worlds have developed, our women have risen to the occasion by succeeding in higher education and asserting control over how it is defined for the benefit of our people. Being a woman is a strong resilient woman.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
S: One person that inspires me every day is my maternal grandma. My grandma raised nine children on her own. She did not work instead she wove rugs that she would sell to the trading post to earn money. She never received any type of western education and the only language she knew was Navajo. She lost her husband at a young age and lost two of her sons later in life. After she went through those tragic times, she still kept going strong in life and still strongly believe in her creator. She was at home by herself most of the time caring for the livestock and cornfield. She passed in 2013. She was a strong, resilient, independent, kind and warmed heart woman. She would always emphasize leaving the reservation to go to school or work. To see the world but to never forget where we are coming from and who we are. Everything I know is because of her. I strive for success every day because of her. If she was here, I would say, “thank you grandma for everything, I love you,” but in Navajo. To speak in your native tongue had much more meaning to it so, to say a simple sentence like this will bring tears to my eyes every time.