"The Miss Navajo contest is not your typical beauty pageant. Instead of swimsuits and high heels, you get turquoise and moccasins. One of the talent competitions is butchering sheep, and speaking Navajo is a must.

The Navajo Nation will crown this year's winner on Saturday night. It's sweltering during the competition, and throngs of people have gathered under a giant tent where some small campfires burn. The smoky cedar masks the smell of raw mutton while young women work in teams. They must decide who cuts the sheep's throat, who removes the stomach and who quarters the carcass.

Contestants sweat under the traditional Navajo dress of velvet, satin and layers of turquoise jewelry. One petite woman struggles to lift an enormous, slippery stomach out of her sheep. Judges circle and scrutinize."

Get the Story:
Forget The Heels: What It Takes To Be Miss Navajo (NPR 9/9)

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