By KARYL FRANKIEWICZ
MISS CHEROKEE 2012
Shi-yo! The time is here, and the applications are out. Do you have what it takes to represent the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians? With two months left, it’s hard to believe I will hand down my reign to the next wonderful lady that will have the experience and the chance to meet all the wonderful people that I have had during this time.
Miss Cherokee 2012 Karyl Frankiewicz (left), along with her mother Melissa Arch (right), meets country singer Josh Turner. (Photos courtesy of Miss Cherokee Karyl Frankiewicz)
During the months of June and July, I had the privilege to meet some amazing people. I attended the send-off ceremony for the Remember the Removal Riders at the Kituwah mound on June 1. I also got the blessing to be the guest speaker at the Age Link graduation on June 4. On June 8, I traveled to Murphy to do a blessing for the Cherokee Valley River Cherokee Festival. Later that day, I took part in the Cherokee Voices festival at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. On June 14, I had the blessing to host Junior Miss Lumbee Cici and her mother, Crystal Fedor, to the Outdoor Drama Theater, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and the Oconaluftee Indian Village before we got ready for the 38th annual Eastern Band of Cherokee Pow Wow. During the pow wow, held June 14-16, I took part in the grand entries and the intertribal dances with other dancers and royalty including Junior Miss Cherokee Aliyah Bigmeat and Teen Miss Cherokee Bradley Welch. On June 22, I traveled to Robbinsville to take part in the Trail of Tears Memorial Walk. On June 28, we went back to the Kituwah mound for the Annual Kituwah Celebration where I got to meet the Little Miss Ambassador Maysi Fields, of the Cherokee Nation, and danced with the Warriors of Anikuwah.
Miss Cherokee dances with a member of the Turquoise Dancers, a Navajo dance group, during the Festival of Native Peoples in Cherokee.
On July 2, I traveled back to Lumberton to attend the Little Miss Lumbee and Junior Miss Lumbee pageants to see Cici Fedor and Lilly Locklear as they handed down their titles and crowns to the new ambassadors. On July 4, even on a rainy day, I watched the runners as they came in during the Sunset 5K here in Cherokee. From July 11-12, I traveled to Choctaw, Miss. to attend the 64th annual Choctaw Indian Fair. There, I got to do the Stealing Partner Dance, have a live interview, see the crowning of the new Miss Choctaw, and meet Chief Phyllis J. Anderson and Josh Turner. On July 13, I came back to be a part of the Festival of Native Peoples where I danced with not only the Warriors but various visiting tribes that attended this event as well with Little Miss Marcela, Junior Miss Aliyah, and Teen Miss Bradley.
Thank you Age Link for letting me speak at the graduation for the upcoming kindergarten children. Thank you Cherokee County for inviting me to the festival that will enable everyone to learn about our heritage. Barbara Duncan, thank you for inviting me to dance with the warriors at the Cherokee Voices festival. Thank you Cici and Crystal for coming up to attend the Pow Wow and for inviting me back to your own pageant. Thank you Punkin Jackson for inviting me down to Robbinsville for the Trail of Tears walk. Thank you Chief Phyllis and the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Indians for inviting me to the Choctaw Indian Fair. Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you royalty board for letting me take part in all these events and giving me the support to carry on as my reign is coming to a close. Sgi.
