What little girl hasnāt dreamed of being a princess? Anna Barber, a 20-year-old member of the Gena Band of Choctaw Indians in Gena, La., not only had that dream, but she was actually crowned princess when she was 15.
Her dark brown eyes twinkle as Barber describes her first pageant. Barberās mother, Rose Blasingame, was Choctaw Indian Princess when she was 15, and her crown was on display that special night. Barber was dressed in traditional Choctaw costumeāa long-sleeved, ankle-length dress decorated in the tribal colors of yellow, black, red and navy, and the traditional long white apronāas she answered questions about her tribeās history. She won the crown. āFor her it was a really big deal,ā Barber says of her mother.
The former princess says the pageant fills a need for tribal girls. āIt gives the other girls in the tribe an opportunity to learn more about who and what they are ā¦ they can say Iām Choctaw and this is why I know that,ā she explains. In recent years she has tutored tribal girls on Choctaw history. On Oct. 25 Barber will emcee this yearās pageant in Gena.
Barber, one-quarter Choctaw, says it was natural to identify with the side that played the largest part in her upbringing. For her, the Native American influence was stronger. āIām a Choctaw Indian. Iām a part of this larger group of people,ā she says.
The 2001 graduate of Choctaw Central High School in Philadelphia, Miss., is attending Holmes Community College in Ridgeland and plans to return to Millsaps in the fall to pursue her goalāteaching high school English. She says her youth will help her with her students. āItās not always about being in charge. Itās about making sure that the people youāre in charge of are happy in what theyāre doing and understand what theyāre doing.ā She hopes to ignite her own love of learning in her students someday.
Barber vividly remembers being a boarding student at Choctaw Central. āIt was a complete culture shock to me,ā she says. Her small tribe in Louisiana did not speak the language and had lost many of the tribal traditions. In Philadelphia, traditions were important, and everyone spoke the language. Essentially she went from a school situation where she wasnāt white enough to be with the white kids to a situation where she wasnāt Indian enough to be with the Indian kids. She sat back, studied the situation, and adapted as she learned about being Choctaw. āI want to be here, and Iām going to make it,ā she says.
