How this year's Miss Six Nations pageant shows that Indigenous languages are flourishing

As the Miss Six Nations pageant progresses this week, with the winners of five age categories to be crowned Friday at the Six Nations Fall Fair , it's also more evidence that Indigenous languages are flourishing.

This year, for the first time, contestants had the option to do their interviews in Onondaga, Cayuga and Mohawk (Kanienʼkéha) – and 10 of them chose to do so, said Dakota Brant, a member of the fair board and director of the pageant program.

"The revitalization of language has really flourished in the past decade or so," said Brown, who learned Kanienʼkéha as an adult and wanted to make space for people to use their languages beyond the home or school. "Our competition here is the first program or service in Six Nations has ever offered our Indigenous languages upon request.