2020 Princess Coronation speech by Evanne Pratt

Hello everyone, my name is Evanne Pratt.

In 2017, I was crowned Pawnee Nation Princess. Little did I know it was going to be as amazing as it was. You will have the opportunity to go to places you’ve never been to. To meet incredible people. To show the younger generations, what being a princess is all about. But most importantly, you will have the opportunity to show the world what a proud Pawnee woman looks like.

In everything you do, do it with dignity and grace. The crown you wear isn’t just a piece of metal. It’s a symbol of strength, beauty, and resilience. When you put on the crown, you hold your head up high. When you put on the crown, you not only represent yourself and your family, you represent the Pawnee Nation.

Take a look around. What do you see? I see strong women. Michelle Obama once said, “The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is the presence of women who are valued.” When I look around, I see powerful women. I see women that have put others first that have gone through hardships and continued to stand, that have gone out to do amazing things, but most importantly, I see women that have built this community. I see strong, resilient women.

What you see here is a sisterhood. Most of us have been princesses before. Some held one title, some have held multiple titles. We’ve sat on princess row, we’ve done our laps around arenas while shaking hands, we’ve taught others about what our title means to us, and we’ve all made our tribes and organizations proud.

In the upcoming year, you will do amazing things. You will go further than you have ever before. You will not only teach others, but you will learn too. This year, soak up everything. This year will go by fast, and before you know it, you’ll be giving your crown up to the next princess. You might enter this with a ton of uncertainty like I did, but as long as you uphold the crown to the best of your abilities, there’s one thing for certain, you will make the Pawnee Nation proud.

I think it’s safe to say that on behalf of the past and present princesses, welcome to the sisterhood. Congratulations Haley!