What to know
- Who can participate: Indigenous undergraduate and graduate students attending NAU
- Meeting days: Wednesdays
- Meeting time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
- Meeting location: The gathering room in the Center for Native American and Indigenous Futures
About the club
The NAU Council of Indigenous Ambassadors upholds the two-decades-old mission of the Miss Indigenous NAU organization, formerly the Miss Indian NAU organization: to represent and advocate for NAU’s diverse and growing population of Indigenous students. After being chosen as the year’s Indigenous ambassador and co-ambassador, two students excelling in leadership and activism host weekly meetings, spiritual trips and events rallying against injustice, inviting Indigenous students at NAU to find solidarity in their work.
Q&A
Báásè Pike, a junior studying accounting, has been involved with the council since coming to NAU, an experience that culminated in her serving as the 2024 Indigenous ambassador and president of the club. As she prepared to pass the baton to the incoming 2025 ambassadors, she reflected on what she has accomplished as a representative of hundreds of Native American students and her hopes for NAU’s future.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved with the Council of Indigenous Ambassadors!
I am enrolled in the San Carlos Apache tribe. I’m Chiricahua Apache. I come from the Hastin’naiye—The old people standing in a row clan—and the Bendok’o’he—The last people coming band. I always say it is a very resilient, humble lineage, and I’m very grateful for that.
I’m also a part of a nonprofit organization called Apache Stronghold, where we advocate for Indigenous religious rights. We just filed a Supreme Court case against the United States and Resolution Copper for the projected land swap of Oak Flat, which is one of my people’s sacred lands.
It has a lot of historical artifacts, so we’re saying that this land swap for the mine project will be a direct violation of our religious freedom. It would cause us to lose access to our medicinal herbs and plants, and that’s where some of our women’s ceremonies are conducted. We’re still waiting for a response to see if our case will be accepted. That’s just a bit about myself and what I do outside of NAU.
When I came to NAU, I really wanted to find a community for myself. I knew I had a passion for advocating for Indigenous communities. Knowing that this was the mission statement and one of the values of the Council of Indigenous Ambassadors, that’s when I became a member. Then, I wanted to be more involved, so I was elected as the treasurer of the club.
I decided I wanted to make a change and revitalize the cultural side of NAU and bring that balance to Indigenous students because it’s so hard to be away from reservations. There’s a culture shock. I wanted to really give students that balance on campus, and that’s when I decided I wanted to be president and run to be the ambassador.
Tell us a bit about this organization’s history. How was it formed? What is your mission statement?
As the NAU Council of Indigenous Ambassadors, we are stemming from the Miss Indigenous NAU organization, which was the pageant for student ambassadors. Miss Indigenous NAU also stems from Miss Indian NAU, which was the original. The name has been changed multiple times, and I believe this switch happened more recently. My co-ambassador Denver Seaton and I were the fourth annual Indigenous ambassadors, so that’s how long we’ve used that name.
We wanted to be more inclusive to all genders and allow anyone to be the spokesperson of Indigenous students. As the Indigenous ambassador, you also get to be president of the club, and so that is where you can implement your platform. It is definitely a way for students to come together to build cultural awareness within the NAU community and an understanding of Indigenous nations. We’re student leaders on campus who really want to promote and advocate for Indigenous nations.
What does the process of becoming an ambassador look like?
To be the Indigenous ambassador or the Indigenous co-ambassador, which is the vice president role, you are put into our showcase. It kind of stems from our past pageants because with the ambassador position, you do represent the school and have to manage the student organization part. We continue the showcase to really show students that if they have that public speaking ability and can present and show their leadership, they have a chance.
The showcase is a competition that tests all these skills. Our latest ambassador showcase was on Nov. 15, and our candidates basically presented what their platforms are and how they want to implement their platforms, so proving they have that groundwork. Candidates will also talk about why they want to be the ambassador, wear traditional attire and perform a traditional talent. That’s where they show their cultural knowledge.
Other than that, if you just want to be a member, you just come to our weekly meetings and get involved that way. The gallery room is very big and intimidating, but Denver and I always worked to make the place as friendly as we could.
What kinds of things does the NAU Council of Indigenous Ambassadors do throughout the year, both at regular meetings and any other events?
During our meetings, we go over any events that we are planning and have group discussions on any new, creative ideas. Then, we always play a game for team bonding. We’ll give out prizes like gift cards and little things like that for the students. It’s really fun, and everyone’s always laughing and having a good time.
We always do Kahoot! trivia. We play a card game called Navajo Tens. That’s something that members from different tribes who are not Diné, like me for example, get to learn and has become a meeting staple.
Outside of our meetings, we’ll figure out rides and schedules and go on trips to emphasize cultural awareness. In my community, there have been multiple times in my family where we’ve had a sunrise dance, so I wanted to give that opportunity to members of our club to experience what an Apache sunrise ceremony is. It’s just one of the ways we can spread cultural awareness.
So, we go to these ceremonies, we’ve done “protect Oak Flat” runs, we’ve traveled with Apache Stronghold to Malibu, California, and visited the Wishtoyo Chumash Village. We’ve been able to experience prayer and what other tribes do, which is beautiful.
We do our showcases every year, so that’s always something to look forward to. Last semester, we also had our “Off the Rez” skate competition, which is a collaboration we have with the NAU Skate Club and KJACK radio. We all came together to highlight Indigenous peoples during Native American Heritage Month and build those bridges between Indigenous communities and the skating community.
Like Indigenous communities, the skating community is often forgotten or depicted incorrectly. Indigenous students, especially those coming from the reservations, also often struggle to stay motivated and further themselves. These are two communities, but Indigenous peoples have really taken skating as something that can build positivity. A lot of younger people who are Indigenous are really looking into skating, so we also reach out to the high schools nearby and try to build that motivation to pursue your education while pursuing something you love.
Last semester, NAU reported the highest percentage of incoming Native American students in school history, making up 4.2% of the undergrad population. Because a key aspect of this organization is advocating for and improving recruitment rates for Indigenous students, what does this record number mean to you?
To me, it’s very exciting and hopeful. That just means more of our Indigenous people are going out there to get a degree and do good for themselves. In this world, it’s very hard to get a good-paying job without a degree. Indigenous peoples, we always talk about going out and getting our education and coming back to give back to our communities. I find this very hopeful for our Indigenous peoples, our futures and the children yet to come.
During your time as ambassador, the organization has been recognized extensively for its leadership and activism, including receiving multiple High Pines Awards. Tell us a bit about how you’ve used your voices and platform to speak out against a range of injustices.
Sometimes, where you’re at, the institutions you’re working with are not perfect. You really have to be out there to represent yourself and advocate for what the students want. It’s been really amazing that our members have been wanting to go out there and advocate for sacred lands. We’ve been to climate change conferences and were able to teach others about which sacred lands are being destroyed and the ways they can help. Those are values within our Indigenous communities that we’re implementing here at NAU.
It’s also amazing when we go outside to different communities to help and be an ally. At the beginning of our ambassadorship, we went out with BSU for their MLK’s Echo march. It’s strengthening to see that alliance between two clubs that represent their people. BSU has always been there for us. It’s little things like this that really represent what our club is about.
I’m just so grateful that there are student organizations because they really give students the ability to make a change themselves for bettering the community. Like with nonprofits, for example, organizations like the federal government are not always going to provide for everyone. There will always be a need, and that’s where student organizations and nonprofits fill those holes.
Student organizations make NAU a community. They don’t just strengthen it.
There are so many Indigenous clubs, and there are more that are coming. They’re taking those steps to build community, and that’s amazing. I’m really excited for our next ambassadors and seeing where they take the group and what they advocate for.
What is something you’re most proud of accomplishing during your time as ambassador?
I would really like to say our skate competitions. Our skate jam, “Skating on Stolen Land,” was an event I first hosted as an ambassador. Back home, there is a very strong skating community that I’m a part of. That’s something I see within our young ones going to school. They really connect with skateboarding.
We have these big competitions and get people from big skating brands and teams. At those events, you see the kids look up at them and say, “Oh my God, they’re here!” That motivation and inspiration was something I wanted to bring to NAU and Flagstaff. When I did, it was actually so huge. Over 200 people came to our event. It was amazing to have live bands there and about seven local sponsors.
We had Apache Skateboards, which is an Indigenous-owned skating brand, and Doug Miles Jr., a professional Apache skater, come and do a demo. That collaboration with the NAU Skate Club was definitely something I’ll never forget. Their president and members were so easy to connect with. We both had an understanding and a mission to bring positivity, and that’s what we did.
What advice do you have for the incoming 2025 Indigenous Ambassadors?
Stay true to your platform and the dreams motivating why you want to be an ambassador. There’s always going to be so many opportunities, but at the end of your term, you’re going to want to look back on your platform and say, “I did make that impact. I did make that change.”
That’s definitely something me and my co-ambassador can say. We did that, and that’s the greatest part.
Find out more about the council’s upcoming events by following @nau_cia on Instagram.