Tay’a Osborne to run for Miss Shoshone-Bannock
Queen title uncontested
Tay'a Osborne
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Tay’a Riyan Osborne, 23, is the only candidate for Miss Shoshone-Bannock 2026-2027.
She is a daughter of Gifferd Osborne and Rachel Snipe. She resides in the Fort Hall District of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.
Despite being the only candidate, she’ll still have to complete the week’s activities leading up to her receiving the crown on Friday, August 7.
On Monday, August 3 she will do an introduction at the Bannock Gathering around noon at the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel. That evening, she will have dinner with the royalty committee. On Tuesday, August 4 is her interview with the judges. Wednesday, August 5 at 6 p.m. she will do her traditional dish presentation at the Delbert Farmer Festival arbor. Thursday, August 6 she will participate in the kids parade and at 4 p.m. will do her traditional talent, also at the Festival arbor. That evening she will participate in the kid’s powwow. On Friday, August 7, she will do her dance exhibition. She will receive her crown at 5 p.m. prior to grand entry.
As Miss Shoshone-Bannock, Tay’a said in her application her platform is to stand up for the elderly and also stand up for oneself because of what her huutsi’i goes through. In addition, some elders are neglected, mentally and physically abused. “However, you can’t stand up for others, if you can’t do it yourself, mental health is very important because it helps you connect with others, handle stress and help realize abilities,” she said. “It is also important because it affects the quality of life and what it means.”
An experience that contributed to her growth as a young woman that helped her see the world in a different perspective is losing her two older siblings, “As the youngest, you expect your older siblings to be with you your whole life, having someone to hang out with, giving advice when you need to hear it – everything and older sibling is expected to do,” she said. Only 12 when she lost her brother Garrett, she didn’t understand, just knew she was never going to see or talk to him again. At 17, her oldest brother Simon made his way to the other side. “That mentally destroyed me and I had just got myself to finally let go and move on from another brother’s death when losing both of my pavi’i’s (brothers) five years apart I grieved twice as much,” and she stopped dancing. Three years later she finally came back to the circle but the same year, her pazi’i (sister) Shanie passed away but her passing had her more mentally prepared to continue on with life. She continued to dance after she left because it makes her feel closer to all of them – they grew up dancing and singing, “losing them made me think and see the world from a different perspective.” It also made her grow as a person from a very early age. “It made me open my eyes and realize no matter how good life is, it always finds a way to tear apart, but we have to keep moving on in life.” She has this saying, “Life is easy, it’s only hard when you make it hard, I think of that every day and that is what continues to help me grow.”
Tay'a Osborne
Tay’a’s community involvement is the Warbonnet Dance her family conducts every New Year’s, Sundances (not dancing), funerals and other ceremonies the community has every year. She played in local basketball tournaments/leagues growing up, including softball. She became involved in 4-H for about six years where she received awards. She also joined Boys and Girls Club when she was younger. She used to dummy rope when young that she received awards for including end of year rope and won belt buckles. She’s achieved the groundwork of branding cattle and ranching. She knows how to set up a tipi (whether a woman or man tipi). “I like to think of this as an achievement being shown and learning the men’s ways of our people including the women’s ways,” she said. “Learning both ways as a woman is more than an achievement because it’s knowledge for ourselves and so much more.”
Her hobbies include making rope décor, making her own dresses, doing beadwork including for other family members. She works out, running or walking, plays basketball, works with horses and ranching.
Her educational goal is to become a cosmetologist and obtain her license.
Her style of dance is traditional. Her bia (mother) Rachel Snipe made her leggings, hair ties and bag. Tay’a made her dresses, with her baha (aunt) Kimberly Osborne, along with some other regalia. Her fan, breast plate was passed down to her by her pazi’i Shaynelle Lee, along with some other things (dresses, cape, etc.)
Her traditional dish she’s preparing is trout with lemon, salt and peppermint plant along with Bannock bread. Tay’a was taught at an early age how to spear fish/filet as her a’pa (father) showed her. She was self-taught how to cook underground, also from her a’pa. She was also shown by her late pavi’i Simon how to prepare fish in general. Her huutsi’i Norma showed her how to make Bannock bread when she was in high school.
Tay’a’s traditional talent is how to set up a tipi (woman’s style), with the assistance of former Miss Shoshone-Bannock Kimberly Osborne and former Miss Sho-Ban High School Lou Osborne. The tipi will be taken down and folded afterward. “I was a little girl when first shown and helped with setting up a tipi by my a’pa (father) Gifferd.” One of the reasons her dad had her help because if anything was to ever happen, she got another place to live and stay safe.
Chris Osborne is her sponsor.
Tay’a’s message to youth is, “to learn more of our ways of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes as much as you can because our way is what is keeping us alive. Also to keep on dancing and get involved with sports, continue on to get higher education. A big one is to help our people become better and be kind to one another.”
