On June 21, the Miss Salt River Committee kicked off the royal weekend with the 32nd Annual Jr. Miss Salt River Pageant, which was held in the Talking Stick Resort Ballroom.

Three participants competed for the title of Jr. Miss Salt River, who will serve alongside Miss Salt River 2024-2025: Aiyanna Toya, Tiaré Begay-Smith and Diondria Pilger.

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Vice-President Ricardo Leonard welcomed everyone to the program, recognizing the legacy of all the young women who have come before and represented their Community.

“What these young ladies are doing now is thinking out of the box,” remarked Leonard.

The emcees for the event were Jessica Ruiz and Martha Ludlow Martinez, both of whom have played—and continue to play—a big role in the lives of the young women who participate in the pageant.

After the Salt River Fire Department Honor Guard posted the colors, Miss Indian Arizona 2022-2023 Sistine Lewis sang the national anthem in O’odham.

Outgoing Jr. Miss Salt River 1st Attendant 2023-2024 Patricia Woody gave the invocation, and outgoing Jr. Miss Salt River 2023-2024 Jizelle Juan gave the opening remarks.

“Tonight is not just about winning a title; it’s about celebrating who you are and the unique attributes you bring to the Community,” said Juan. “Let’s make this evening a night to remember as we come together to honor our young women.”

The three participants began the evening showcasing a variety of talents. Toya presented how to dance to waila, or chicken scratch music. Begay-Smith demonstrated how to make a water canteen from a gourd. Pilger performed a dance about the coyote; the lesson was that people should be humble and embrace their differences.

Next came the traditional dress and essay portion of the pageant. For her traditional dress, Toya wore a one-piece wraparound O’odham dress. Begay-Smith wore a traditional wrap attire that was common from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Pilger wore a two-piece O’odham muslin dress. The participants then talked in-depth about their traditional dresses and why they wore them.

After the judges tallied their scores, the results were in: Diondria Pilger was crowned Jr. Miss Salt River 2024-2025.

Miss Salt River Committee Chairwoman Elisa Pongyesvia said she is thrilled to see this year’s courts full of young women who want to make a positive impact in the Community.

“It is no easy task stepping into the light and being a role model; it takes a great deal of effort and lots of behind-the-scenes work to be prepared for an event like this,” said Pongyesvia.

“All of our young ladies come from different walks of life, but they have chosen to take this journey together in becoming bigger than themselves as ambassadors of Salt River. Their reign has only begun. I look forward to seeing them build friendships and flourish into stronger O’odham and Piipaash women.”