Princess Sorority Powwow Takes Place at Comanche Nation Fair
On Thursday, Sept. 26, the Comanche Nation Princess Sorority held its annual powwow at the tribal complex during the Comanche Nation Fair.
Comanche Nation Princess Sorority PIO Jolene Schonchin said families sponsored contests in honor of family members who were Comanche Princesses.
“So, we have a lot of contests this year, and we also have a new president who is Ashleigh Mithlo, and she is one of the Comanche Princesses who served the longest for the tribe,” she said.
The sorority honored Rachel Martinez, the first princess of the Comanche Nation, in 1926.
Schonchin said it’s important for the youth to be involved.
“With dancing, learning the culture, learning the language, learning our regalia, to know why we wear it, what it is, how to say it in Comanche, things like that,” she said. “It's things like that that need to be passed on, and with our youth, our young girls coming into the arena and learning all of these things and aspire to be Comanche Princesses, that ensures that our legacy is going to continue.”
Schonchin said her favorite part of being in the sorority is the sisterhood.
“Because we all went through the same thing, we all experienced representing our tribe for the year that we reigned,” she said. “And it's just like a camaraderie between us, and so together we can help the current princess if she has questions if she needs guidance in any way; she has the whole sorority who were past princesses who experienced what she's going through that can help her.”
The sorority began in 1996.
“The Comanche Princess Sorority was founded in 1996 by my brother-in-law Gaylon Motah, who was the Comanche Princess Director at the time and my mother, the late Arlene Wockmetooah Jimenez, she was the founding president. So that's why this sorority is dear to my heart,” Schonchin said.
She said she’s proud of the sorority.
“Because we are getting more organized and we're having to do more activities, we are going out to our communities more, and we are establishing ourselves once again, so that's always good,” Schonchin said.
She said she’s proud of the current members and looks forward to future ones.
“And I'm very proud of McKenzi, who is our newest member of the Comanche Princess Sorority,” Schonchin said. “She did a wonderful job last year, and now we have Miss Blue Sky Tosee, who's our current princess, and she's doing a wonderful job as well, and she will be inducted into our sorority this spring whenever we have our new princess election.”
