A young woman from Kawacatoose First Nation says she has returned from the Miss Indian World Pageant with many fond memories.

Amelia Badger says even though she didn’t win the title, she worked hard to represent her people and enjoyed the overall experience.

Badger says one of the best parts was learning about other tribal groups and making many friends.

“So much about other cultures, I actually now have friends that live in Alaska which I think is truly amazing and I have friends now who live in Washington, Pueblo, Arizona, South Dakota and Vancouver”.

Badger says she hopes other young women from Saskatchewan to get involved in the pageant.

“I encourage any of our young ladies to take a step forward, come forth and represent our culture and it is the most amazing experience that you could experience as a young woman, and whoever is willing to come and be a positive role model, I think this is something for you to do”.

The Miss Indian World Pageant is held each year in conjunction with the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This year’s winner is Cheyenne Brady of Oklahoma.