Miss Manito Ahbee crown passes from one sister to the next
Role raises awareness of missing, murdered Indigenous women — which hits home for Laniece and Ashley Asapace
After three years, Miss Manito Ahbee has passed on her crown — to her little sister.
And now that the tables have turned, Laniece Asapace said she wants to make sure she can be the support system for her sister that 16-year-old Ashley Asapace was for her during her time in the role.
"When I had to go talk somewhere, she was with me. She was my person," said Laniece, 18.
"She braided my hair. When I had to get ready, she calmed me down before I had to speak in front of a big crowd."
The Miss Manito Ahbee Youth Ambassador is usually named every year at the Indigenous arts and culture festival in Winnipeg. But when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the annual event for two years, Laniece held on to the title she was awarded in 2019.
That crown can be a heavy one to wear, she said.
The role aims to honour the memory and raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls — an issue Laniece said has affected their family directly, including through the disappearance of her grandmother, Emily Osmond.
In 2007, Osmond disappeared from her rural home on Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, where both Laniece and Ashley are from.
Ashley said seeing how that affected her family was part of the reason she wanted to step into the role, even though as an introvert the thought of the public speaking that comes with the title was intimidating, she said.
"I want to share my voice and my knowledge of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, because my family as well has been impacted," she said. "It means a lot to me."
Laniece said over the years she's held the title, traveling to powwows across Canada and the United States, she's learned how much responsibility it comes with — not just to represent families of missing and murdered people, but also to set a positive example for younger people.
It's something she said she hopes to impart on her little sister as she steps into the role.
"I want her to remember that when she's carrying the title, she's just not carrying the title just for show…. She's representing a young girl [who was taken] way too soon," she said.
"I want to help her be the best role model she can be for the younger generations to come, to show the younger generations to come that whatever you put your mind to, it's possible."
With files from Erin Brohman and Joanne Roberts