This spring, while the Kuskokwim River was still solid ice and the days were short, Tatiana Taanka Korthius was crowned Miss Cama-i, winning the honor of representing the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and celebrating Yup’ik and Cup’ik culture throughout Alaska.
Now, in mid-summer as the fireweed blooms, Korthius has won the title of 2024 Miss World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO), representing Alaska for the coming year. She was crowned at the Big Dipper Arena in Fairbanks on July 12.
The 22-year-old student from Bethel, on the Kuskokwim River, and Emmonak, on the lower Yukon River, impressed the judges with her traditional talent, personal interview, and impromptu speeches.
In her acceptance speech, Korthius thanked her fellow competitors and reiterated her platform of practicing and celebrating Native culture and ways of life.
“It’s an honor to be crowned the 2024 Miss WEIO,” Korthius said, wearing her new crown and sash. “I’m honored and excited to represent Alaska. My platform is to continue to uplift and advocate for our community around the state, country, and Arctic.”
Korthius grew up in Bethel and attended Yup’ik language immersion school Ayaprun Elitnaurvik through sixth grade. She graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka in 2019. Since the sixth grade, she’s participated in the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP). Korthius has also completed internships with the United States Geological Survey, Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Calista Corporation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and is currently working for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. She’s also an Arctic Youth Ambassador.
In addition to the 2024 Miss WEIO title, Korthius won a $3,000 scholarship toward an educational opportunity of her choosing. She’s currently a student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she’s studying natural sciences with a concentration in environmental science. She said that when she graduates, she wants to continue advocating for the Indigenous people of the Arctic.
Korthius also won other honors for her traditional talent, as well as the title of “Most Traditional,” which was awarded based on personal interviews with judges.
Her fellow Miss WEIO contestants named her “Miss Congeniality,” a title she shares with second runner-up Jennilee Donovan of Utqiaġvik, who is the current reigning Miss Top-of-the-World.
First runner-up was Ronnie Huss of Kotzebue, the reigning Miss Arctic Circle.
Korthius’s Miss WEIO win is the first for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta since 2018, when Olivia Piyuuk Shields of Toksook Bay was named Miss WEIO. According to Miss WEIO records, it’s the first win for a competitor from Emmonak.
