Shelby Elizabeth Mata Miss Native American USA 2021-2022 from Comanche Nation

On Friday, September 10, 2021, Shelby was crowned by the Comanche Nation Tribal Council in Lawton, Oklahoma presented the crown and sash on behalf of the Miss Native American USA organization.

Shelby is 24 years old and originally from Walters, Oklahoma. Her parents are Antonio and Phillis Mata, grandparents Mitchell Gwoompi and Lou Bell Ototivo, great-grandparents Vilas Ototivo and Angeline “Gommock” Peahcoose Ototivo.

In 2014, she became the youngest Comanche tribal member to travel to Normandy, France to commemorate the Comanche Code Talkers for their involvement in D-Day during World War II and became an honorary citizen of Tilly-Sur-Suelles, Normandy, France. That same year she had the opportunity to accompany her tribe to the Nation’s Capital to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Comanche Code Talkers and performed at the National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institution.

Since childhood, Shelby has held five tribal royalty titles within her community including Miss Indian Oklahoma 2017-2018. Shelby takes pride in representing her tradition and culture by dancing southern cloth and buckskinstyle. She has had the honor of holding Head Woman dancer for several engagements and was once featured on the cover of the OKLAHOMA magazine for the August 2018 edition.

In 2019, Shelby became first runner up to Lexie James during the Miss Native American USA 2019-2020 scholarship pageant in Tempe, Arizona. As Shelby embarks on becoming the 9th Miss Native American USA she will promote the platform, Cultural Knowledge and Awareness.

“I am honored and very excited for this coming year to represent the Miss Native American USA title. I look forward to the new friendships, experiences, and opportunity to share my platform. I want to thank my parents for always being so supportive, my friends, and those who havew encouraged and given me kind words along the way. Thank you to the Miss Native America USA Pageant for encouraging young women across our great Nation to be the best they can be and for bing the role models we all look up to. Most importantly, I am thnakful the Creator has blessed me with this opportunity and everything he has done for me. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Ura! (Thank you!)”