MISSION — As part of a 110-year-old tradition, MyaLyn Mills and Manaia Wolf were announced to be the 2026 Happy Canyon princesses, serving as ambassadors for the pageant and representatives of their families and community.

Mills, whose Indian name is Panaknuwithla (the one who takes care of us), is a 19-year-old Nixyáawii Community School (NCS) graduate and current Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) student who plans to pursue pediatric nursing. A descendant of Chief Yellowhawk, Mills is following in the footsteps of cousin Avery Quaempts and grandmother Michelle Spencer as she continues the Happy Canyon legacy riding her horse Foxy.

Wolf, whose Indian name is Tanawiinanmay (inquiring maiden), is an 18-year-old graduate of Weston-McEwen High School and plans to become a chiropractor after earning her business management degree and completing a pre-chiropractic program. Wolf is joining a legacy that her family has been a part of since the early days of the pageant, and continuing the 30-year pattern with her great-aunt Judy (Burke) Farrow being princess in 1966 and her mother Althea Huesties-Wolf in 1996.

What has the experience of being a princess been like for yourselves, your families and your horses this year?

Mills: It’s  been a lot of fun. You know, we get to go around out to all of the different rodeos and get to represent. It’s been really fun because we get to bring the horses everywhere and my family comes alongside with me, and yeah, my horse has been really good this year. She’s just a really great parade horse, and she loves getting to see the people and the attention. She poses around for the camera, and my little sister likes coming to all the parades and she gets to go to different rodeos now, so she’s pretty happy about that. This year has been a lot of opportunities, so it’s been really fun to just get to live in the moment and enjoy.

Wolf: It’s definitely been a very different experience from what I honestly thought it would be. It’s a lot more building connections with people that you never thought you’d ever meet or be able to build a connection with, and it’s really been a super cool experience, and learning how to navigate through different places and learn different things from different people. For my family, I know it’s been a super big moment for my mom, I know, because she says, ‘Oh, I almost teared up,’ and I’m like, ‘OK, whatever,’ And for ZZ, I know he’s a fast-ride horse; he knows when ‘it’s time to go and get back in the trailer now,’ He’s gotten a lot better, and it’s been a really good experience for him, and he’s definitely a flashy horse, he likes to pose.”

How did you prepare for the role of a Happy Canyon princess?

Mills: A lot of it for me was getting my regalia ready. I just got my whole outfit made and everything is done, which has been a lot of fun with my family, working with them, designing all the designs and stuff. That was a lot of the preparation. We were beading and sewing and doing all this stuff for a really long time, which everybody pitched in, so it was a lot of fun. I think that was most of the preparation for me, plus obviously riding my horse a lot.

Wolf:  A lot of prep was working with ZZ because I knew he was coming, focusing with him. So I started doing all that with him and then prep work. I mean, my grandma kind of made my whole horse regalia outfit just because she was like, ‘I’m going to make this for you, because I know you’re doing this and I’m so proud,’ (I said) ‘Can I help?’ But she’s like, ‘No, I’m making it.’ So, a lot of it was horses and then just refreshing my memory on our family history.

While we’re on the topic, can you tell me about your regalia?

Mills: My regalia, like I said, is pretty new. My Aunt Julie, she got me a beadwork set, which just had a headband, some earrings, and hair ties, and we took the designs off of that, and we just built a whole outfit from it. So, we started off with the rest of my outfit. We started planning the dress, and we got moccasins made to match, and then we went on to Foxy’s outfit. We got this big old piece of paper and cut out a pattern and just built it all from what we had.  So, we just slowly started building everything. My Aunt Julie, on her beadwork set, has a rose, and so I wanted to incorporate that in mine. So, I have her rose design but with my colors, so it’s like we’re matching, but it’s still part of me.

Wolf: So, my outfit’s the complete opposite of hers. Hers is brand new, and mine is 110 years old, and it was made by a Columbia Plateau dressmaker by the name of Elsie Pistelhead. When she first made it, it was a really different dress for the times. So, later on, my grandma, my great-great-great grandma, Ada, traded it for her, and then she passed it down to my Kotsa. Then, at my aunt’s memorial in 2022, she gave it to me as a gift. After that, I have all this set. There’s matching moccasins and cuffs and hair ties and stuff. Then, after my grandma knew the year before, she was like, ‘Well, I’m going to make you a matching regalia set, so you match everything.’”

What do you hope people will take away from their experience at the Happy Canyon show?

Mills: I would hope that they learn more about our culture and our community, but also get to enjoy it.

Wolf: I would hope that they take in all the history that’s in that show, not only physically seeing us act out the scene, but maybe even after the show, they get curious and want to actually learn about the specific parts of the show. Because, I know from the show, the raiding scene is kind of what would happen with the Indian police. They would go into different camps, get rid of white people, and so that’s crazy when you narrow down the different scenes. It’s like they’re based on different parts of history in our area. So I hope they take in the history and really go on a deep dive with it because it’s really an interesting story.

What is your favorite part of the show?

Mills: Everybody brings out all their old and new stuff, and you just get to see all of the designs, and everyone comes together, and everyone’s having a good time. It’s just nice to see everyone in their regalia; it’s great.

Wolf: I think the part that I usually get really excited about is when you first walk in and all of the horses are sitting there, and you have to walk and weave through the horses, and then we kind of sit in this little area right before you walk in, and we kind of just watch the first few scenes. I always like listening to my Grandpa Gary talk and then see my Grandpa David, and he’ll fan the smoke and the smoke will come up, and he’s up there in his head bonnet. Then we always like watching the deer come by and see what the deer looks like this year. Just like being able to watch the before and seeing everything build up, and then we walk out and do the wedding scene. So, I like watching it in the beginning to see behind the scenes.

What has been your proudest achievement this year?

Mills:  Becoming Happy Canyon princess, fulfilling not only my dream, but my family’s dream. You know, growing up I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to be Happy Canyon princess,’ and my grandmas and my aunts would come and watch me in parades, and they’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be a Happy Canyon princess.’ So getting to say I’ve been a Happy Canyon princess has been one of the best parts about this year.

Wolf:  Being able to fulfill the dream I’ve had since I knew what a Happy Canyon princess was another thing that I remembered from this year is Joseph Days, just realizing that little kids do watch, because when I was at my tent, my little cousins came up to me and they were like, ‘You know, I want to be a princess.’ Great, and they were just hyping me up and I was like, ‘Oh, you’re so sweet.’ And then after that I just realized, I was like, wow, that’s kind of the whole point of this, you’re trying to get people to want to step up into this role. So it’s being able to be a role model for my little cousins really made me proud of myself.

How does it feel to be a part of this 110-year legacy?

Wolf: I think it’s really cool, but after my interview, we did math and that’s when we figured out how old my dress was. We figured out that it’s like a 30-year gap, like my Grandma Judy was (princess) in ’66, and then my mom ’96 and I’m 2026. So, it was just really crazy and it’s really cool because it was kind of like that with my other aunt and my Kotsa, they were 30 years apart, so it’s really weird, like how does that even happen? But it’s really cool, and so just being able to not only be the 110th princess, but be a part of my legacy in that way. So it was pretty cool to learn that.

Is there anyone or anything else you would like to acknowledge or thank?

Mills: My family, they stood by me the whole year and even before; they’re always willing to do whatever. I call them, they’re like, ‘What do you need? What’s going on?’ Like that, or they just call to check on you. You know, they’ve been so, so supportive. Even on the days where it’s early mornings and we’re out late the night before.

Wolf: I would definitely say my family. They have definitely stepped up this year and just, not only supported me through this whole thing, but also taught me different things that I didn’t know about being a princess. Like, my mom has given me tips and guides about things, and my cousin has given me tips and guides about things, and it’s just … they just have supported me so much, and they’ve made me love this thing. They got me into it, they got me into horse riding, so I’ll forever be grateful for everything they’ve given me and taught me.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the tribal community?

Mills: It’s a lot of work, but it’s a really, really great payoff, and you get to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So I say sign up, live in the moment, try it out.