Paul G

By Joann Groff, The Porterville Recorder

With dreams like hers, Sondra Nieto, Porterville's newly crowned princess, has only just begun her reign.

Nieto plans to represent Porterville all over the western United States at weekend American Indian celebrations, to attend college for a business degree and to break into the entertainment industry.
Sondra Nieto will travel to other American Indian celebrations representing the Tule Yokuts. (Recorder photo by John Tipton)


With that, she has a lot ahead of her aside from the dancing that has earned her local fame.

Having just been granted the crown at Porterville's Powwow Sept. 23, the senior at Porterville High School is looking forward to traveling to other American Indian celebrations, where she is treated like royalty.

"I get to sit in front of the head man and head woman at powwows, with other princesses from different areas," Nieto said. "They say, 'And our royalty here today is' and introduce us to the crowd ... it's kind of embarrassing."

Nieto, a member of the Tule River Yokuts Tribe and a descendant of the Paiute Tribe, danced against two other girls for the prize. Other information used for judging was an essay, which Nieto called "Experiences of a "Powwow Dancer", raffle-ticket sales and public speaking.

Nieto told the crowd about her history at the Porterville Fairgrounds, where she has competed since the age of 8.

"I told them that I have been dancing in this very arena since I could barely walk, and how much it would mean to me to be the princess," Nieto said. "I said I not only wanted to represent myself, but the people from Tule River and Porterville. When I said that, the crowd cheered really loud."

Now Nieto will travel as royalty. She returned from the Chukchansi Powwow Sunday night and will likely visit more as the end of American Indian celebration season - September to October - draws to a close. But it's the Powwow of Nations that she is already anxious about, a celebration in Albuquerque, N.M. scheduled for April or May.

"I've never been there, but it's the biggest," Nieto said. "Other dancers tell me it's really crowded and only the best of the best win there."

Nieto has a lot of experience winning, taking the sash in every competition she's entered, including Tule River Child Care Center princess in preschool and Tule River Sweetheart when she was 12 and 16. Last year, Nieto served as the Porterville Powwow's Head Teen Girl, and now, she has claimed the overall Powwow Princess title. Next year, the Porterville Powwow will fall just days after Nieto's 18th birthday, making her ineligible to run again.

She will be moved up to the adult division in her "fancy shawl" dancing.

Not only will she move on to a new dancing group, but her academic self will be evolving as well. Nieto is committed to attending college, but is still struggling whether to start immediately working toward a business degree or attend art school first. She is already receiving college credits through courses at The Art Institute of Minneapolis.

"I want to work in the entertainment industry, as a marketing manager and then an advertising executive, and keep moving up," Nieto said. Although she also has an interest in directing, Nieto said she thought it would be smarter to break in on the business side. "My parents wanted me to be a doctor, or a pediatrician or something. Then I wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer, but I would be too stressed out ... I've always been into money for some reason. Something draws me into the business of things."

Now, Nieto is very involved in the Partnership Academy Business program at Porterville High School. She has taken accounting and marketing courses and is currently taking two retail sales classes. She is also a member of many clubs on campus and visits elementary school classrooms in the area as a motivational speaker, a storyteller, and of course, a "fancy shawl" dancer.

"I go and dance for them and tell them about our culture and history," Nieto said. "It's really fun because they get really into it and start asking all these questions."

Nieto's family moved to the Tule River Indian Reservation from Porterville when she was 6. She works hard to get good grades and raise money to travel; Wake-up time is about 5:30 a.m. with the half-hour drive to town for school. She attends school from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., goes to family members' houses in Porterville to get ready for work, and arrives at the McDonald's on Henderson Avenue to work until 10 p.m. Sometimes Nieto doesn't get back to the Reservation until after midnight, only to start the routine over again before the sun rises the next morning.

"I have a separate bank for my powwows," said Nieto, who often wins cash prizes for her dancing. "That's how I plan to pay for college and go to New Mexico for the big powwow, with my job and my dancing."

If all of the success she has had thus far is any indication of her future, Nieto's plan is probably right on track.

http://myopr.com/articles/2005/10/01...ate/news03.txt

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Homalosa

Thanks for the article Paul. I remember seeing her at dances in California.

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