Ashley Burnham, a member of Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, was just crowned Mrs. Universe 2015 at an event held in Minsk, Belarus. She is the first First Nations woman and the first Canadian to win.
Her win has resulted in an outpouring of congratulations from First Nations people and organizations.
Some noted that Burnham often wears traditional First Nations clothing in photo shoots and at pageants.
Burnham made her culture a big part of her performance. For the talent portion of the competition, she wore a dress by a First Nations designer and performed a traditional dance.
She also wore traditional First Nations clothing for the national outfit parade. Burnham posted a pic of her wearing a "custom Canadian Jingle dress & beadwork that showcased my culture 😊 Made by my friend Dabney Warren."
She often posts selfies of her participating in pow wows.
And of her dancing.
The day before the final competition, Burnham posted a photo of her in a crown. "Whatever the outcome may be I know I've done my best and I will continue to do the charitable work I love to do," she said