Kansas Clifford Braveboy of Haskell Indian Nations University

Kansas Clifford Braveboy is Oglala and Sicangu Lakota and a student at Haskell Indian Nations University where she majors in environmental science. Kansas served as Miss Haskell for 2024-2025. During her reign, Kansas acted as an official ambassador for the university, welcoming guests to campus, speaking at community events, offering the invocation at commencements, and attending powwows across Native communities. Her platform focused on cultural revitalization, providing students with opportunities to reconnect with traditional culture. Her first initiative was hosting a round dance, encouraging community members to learn about this tradition. During the spring semester of her reign, Kansas formed a committee of peers and former Miss Haskells and decided to host a week-long celebration honoring the resilience and continuity of Indigenous women. The women’s empowerment week, titled “Matriarchs Rising,” included teaching about tipis, a wichaglata (women’s singing) learning circle, a community discussion on “Restoring Justice. Restoring Ourselves,” a ribbon skirt workshop, and concluded with a tea-pi party and tipi raising contest. The tipi-raising event was such a success and so well-received by the Haskell community that the new Miss Haskell and Haskell Brave are continuing it. Additionally, Kansas assisted with the USDA Extension’s buffalo harvests in 2024 and 2025, where she shared her knowledge of butchering with other attendees. After graduating from Haskell, Kansas plans to attend law school, focusing on tribal and environmental law.