From their small communities in Mi'kma'ki, to the bright lights of a national pageant stage, these three Mi'kmaw women are vying to be crowned the first-ever Miss Indigenous Canada.

Twenty-six Indigenous women from communities across Canada have been selected from more than 700 applicants to compete in this pageant in the Haudenosaunee territory of Six Nations, Ont.

Miss Indigenous Canada isn't a traditional beauty pageant — the focus is more on internal characteristics. Contestants are judged on…