Maleeya Knows Him Gun becomes new Miss Indian MSU

In the past few weeks, the Native American Studies Department, American Indian Council and the American Indian/Alaska Native Student Success Center have been overwhelmingly busy, planning events for Indigenous People’s Day, American Indian Heritage Day, MSU Homecoming and the grand opening of the American Indian Hall. A special moment among the exciting chaos was the annual election of a new Miss Indian MSU. Typically, Miss Indian MSU has a tenure of one year, and passes their crown to an individually chosen predecessor at the annual MSU Powwow. With the postponement of in-person Powwows due to COVID-19, the election process took place through video submissions. This year, Tavia Torralba, Cheyenne Whiteman and Maleeya Knows His Gun submitted self-nomination videos, discussing their identities, values and goals.

After an online vote, Knows His Gun, a sophomore studying nursing, won the election and has begun taking on the responsibilities of being Miss Indian MSU. In her first major public appearance as Miss Indian MSU, Knows His Gun was part of the American Indian Council’s parade float during the Homecoming parade down Main Street. “It was very cold, but it was very fun! It was engaging, I would stop and people would talk to me, we would converse back and forth. I was a little scared, but I also had a lot of adrenaline because of all the people I was seeing.”

Knows His Gun has been busy since being elected; not only having a central part in the Homecoming parade, but also the Lighting of the Teepees on Peets Hill for Indigenous Peoples Day and, most recently, the opening of the American Indian Hall. While Knows His Gun explained the grand opening, she could not stop smiling, “It exceeded my expectations. I am so excited to actually move in there. It was amazing to hear the words from President Cruzado and other administrators, but I especially valued hearing the students speak, and the experience of letting our voices be heard about this building and expressing how much of home this is going to be for us.” Knows his Gun, a dancer since she could walk, danced in the opening procession, and was among the first people to enter the new building.

She is excited to help grow the Native community at MSU during her tenure as Miss Indian MSU. “I'm getting the feel for it. I'm younger than the previous Miss Indian MSUs, but maybe it will spice it up a bit,” she said. Knows His Gun does not handle her new title lightly, “What [being Miss MSU means to me] is definitely a place for me to advocate for my people, for myself, for MSU. Getting to spread the word and helping educate others on Native topics and the things we go through, such as MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People) and Every Child Matters,” she said. As a previous Powwow Princess, Knows His Gun understands the importance of Miss Indian MSU to the Native youth community. “Being a role model for the reservation kids back home is important because there is a stigma that we are not smart enough for higher education; so encouraging those kids to come and pursue college education is a part of what I want to do,” she said.

While discussing her future as Miss Indian MSU, Knows His Gun could not stop smiling, nor could she mask expressing the immense excitement she felt with this opportunity to inspire people and encourage greatness within Native communities.