June marks the end of a successful year with the 2025-26 Miss Salt River and Jr. Miss Salt River courts. Each June, girls vie for the titles of Miss Salt River and Jr. Miss Salt River. These three girls have represented the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community over the last year.

Miss Salt River Emma Scabby

“Good day, my name is Emma Scabby. I am the daughter of Adrienne Scabby and Robert Scabby. My paternal grandparents are Deanna Scabby and Robert Scabby (bad), and my maternal grandparents are Gloria Ross and Andrew Roan. I’ve recently graduated from Westwood High School and received my diploma while [serving as] Miss Salt River.”

Scabby’s platform event was Vospo ‘Chuumashuum. Vospo is a Xalychidom Piipaash song and dance series that was dreamt by a Lehi leader named Xat ‘iishaaly. Vospo means empty or abandoned house. There are five songs that are still remembered that have a special dance to them; other times it was just a simple round dance.

Throughout her reign, Scabby said her friends and family inspired her. She said, “My family, they keep on pushing me whenever I feel stressed about what’s going on in my life. [My friends] keep on pushing me forward to do better, not only [during my reign], but during school as well, telling me ‘You got this, you’ll do a great job.’”

As Scabby competed for the title of Miss Salt River, she wanted to serve as a role model. “Being a role model to our Community shows that everyone can be who they are and be inspired. We are resilient whenever we wear our sash and crowns as O’odham and Piipaash royalty,” she said.

Scabby said her favorite event was attending the midyear UNITY social gathering. She has developed a love for dancing, whether basket dancing or bird dancing. Scabby has specifically grown fond of performing and showcasing traditional O’odham and Piipaash dances.

“Bird dancing is like my free therapy, because it’s really fun, and you get to dance more, and you can listen more, and just have fun out there and socialize,” said Scabby. She enjoys the energy of a social gathering. “I love seeing a lot of our Community members at events and seeing our relatives out there,” said Scabby.

During her reign, Scabby challenged herself to broaden her horizons. “As Miss Salt River, I am mostly proud of stepping outside of my comfort zone and being able to represent my Community and representing my families,” she said. Asked to share one word to describe her reign, she chose “resilience.” She has shown resilience from the first day she was crowned. From participating in bird dancing to delivering a speech in front of an audience, she has stepped out of her comfort zone.

Scabby plans to attend Scottsdale Community College in the fall and later transfer to Arizona State University.

Jr. Miss Salt River Tiaré Begay-Smith

“Samai Masma Vasij? Añi an ap ceg:ig Tiaré Begay-Smith. Añi vastem:am gami chew-th-p aidag, eñ masmakud Saguaro High School. Eñ ju’jud’et vo ceg:ig Arial Begay-Smith c Luis Lopez. Eñ o’g ap ceg:ig Whitney Grey Jr. Eñ hu’ul ap ceg:ig LaRue Jackson eñ ba’b ap ce:gig Maynard Jackson. Eñ ka’k ap ceg:ig Hermema Grey, eñ vosk ap ceg:ig Whitney Grey Sr. (bad).”

“How are you doing? My name is Tiaré Begay-Smith, and I am the outgoing Jr. Miss Salt River. I am 16 years old and attend Saguaro High School. My parents are Arial Begay-Smith and Luis Lopez. My father is Whitney Grey Jr. My maternal grandparents are LaRue and Maynard Jackson, and my paternal grandparents are Hermena and the late Whitney Grey Sr.”

Begay-Smith’s platform was movement is medicine. “I wanted to share my passion for spreading the importance of mental health and physical health and how they tie in together, and how it is important that we take care of ourselves as a whole,” she said. Her platform event, which took place in April, included a walk, a dinner and social dances.

Begay-Smith is a member of the Young River People’s Council, and that was her first step out of her comfort zone. She wanted to continue to challenge herself, so she vied for the title of Jr. Miss Salt River.

She took on this role wanting to know her culture better and to gain knowledge and experience as to what it means to be an O’odham and/or Piipaash woman. “[I want] to step up and show people who maybe don’t understand our tribe or traditions, or people who think that we don’t even exist anymore, that we are still here and still thriving,” said Begay-Smith.

Begay-Smith receives support from everyone around her, and that has made it easier for her to continue in her reign. She said, “Being able to have my family support me, ask me how my events went, and even attend some of them is what really helped me, along with my friends and my band friends.”

She enjoys spending time with youth and strives to be an inspiration for them. Her goal is to show them who they can be in the future and all the opportunities they can take advantage of as they grow up. Her favorite events during her reign included events with kids, such as the education fair.

“I really like seeing all the schools come together. I like seeing everyone care about their education, as I am trying to work more on my education to get into Stanford [University],” said Begay-Smith.

Reflecting on the past two years, Begay-Smith shared things that she will miss and that have impacted her for the better. She said, “I will miss the bonds we made. I will miss being able to have such immediate connections with other [tribal] royalty.”

As this reign comes to an end, Begay-Smith hopes she had a good influence on the Community. “I hope more young ladies or even young men take healthy risks and come out of their comfort zone in order to help themselves and their community and know who they are and where they come from and represent it proudly,” she said.

She is starting to focus on school and reaching high school graduation. She hopes to attend Stanford University for their psychology program. In the meantime, Begay-Smith plans to stay in the Young River People’s Council and do summer work within the Community.

Jr. Miss Salt River 1st Attendant Aiyanna Toya

“Ske:g tas añi an ap ceg:ig Aiyanna Toya. Añi ad Jr. Miss Salt River 1st Attendant 2025-2026, añi homoko vastema:m gami cudp aidag. Eñ je’e ap ceg:ig Felicia Thomas, eñ og ap ce:gig Jacob Tashquinth. Eñ hu’ul ap ceg:ig Beatrice Anaya(bad), eñ ba:b ap ceg:ig Vincent Toya, en ka:k ap ceg:ig Carol Silversmith(bad), eñ vosk ap ceg:ig Eugene Tashquinth Jr.(bad).”

“Good day, my name is Aiyanna Toya and I am your outgoing Jr. Miss Salt River 1st Attendant 2025-2026. I am the proud 16-year-old daughter of Felicia Thomas and Jacob Tashquinth. My maternal grandparents are Vincent Toya and the late Beatrice Anaya. My paternal grandparents are the late Eugene Tashquinth Jr. and Carol Silversmith. Sapo, dai hugai.”

At the beginning of her reign, Toya said, “I wanted to inform other kids to not be scared to learn O’odham or Piipaash.” She hopes to see the youth stepping into bigger roles and hopes that she could be an influence for them. She said, “I hope the younger kids are not afraid. I hope when they see us out there, they see that we are doing a great job with representing our Community. I hope to leave knowing that they know it’s okay to be shy and take risks.”

Throughout her reign, Toya learned a new skill. “I learned how to do my introduction [in O’odham]. I really didn’t know how to speak O’odham. I never thought it was important for me to learn, and then coming into this role, it has really helped me learn a lot.”

Toya said she really enjoyed the time the girls spent with the Miss Salt River Committee during retreat weekend. The girls got to know each other and create bonds that will last a lifetime, while also participating in workshops. Some of the workshops included presenters such as Annette Vest, group leader for Bird Singing and Dancing by the River, and Community member Patsy King. “That was the time we really spent a lot of time together and had a lot of laughs and got closer. I think the retreat really sealed the deal for us,” said Toya.

While Toya enjoyed attending all events, she had her favorites. “My favorite events are mainly our Community events, because I get to see everybody. I get to see the elders and all the little kids, and I just love seeing everybody gathered in one place,” she said.

Toya could always be seen giving a smile throughout her reign. “Everybody’s always saying, ‘Wow, you’re always smiling,’ and that’s what I want to be remembered by as we are sadly coming to an end to our reign,” she said.

“I am very proud of myself for doing this for two years, and I am very sad that this is coming to an end, but I know I made the Community proud and my family very proud [as Jr. Miss Salt River 1st Attendant 2025-2026 and Jr. Miss Salt River 2nd Attendant 2024-2025],” said Toya.

Now that Toya is finishing her reign, she plans to focus on her studies. She is currently a high school student and on track to graduate early. She also attends East Valley Institute of Technology, which is an early college career school. She does hope to return to the royalty circle in the future. These ladies have done an amazing job representing the Community over the last year, and we look forward to seeing what they do in the future.