Seminole Nation tribal citizens trickled into the Mekusukey Mission Arena to witness history on a crisp September morning: the first female duo — Sena Yesslith and Sheila Harjo — stepping into leadership as principal and assistant chiefs.
"Mvto (thank you) to everyone who is present today and to those who embarked on this historical journey with me by casting your vote … You have helped me to inspire Seminole girls and our women that any position in the nation and this world is possible to obtain," Yesslith said during her speech on Saturday. "You helped to prove that women are not second-class in this nation."
Emilia Wise sat in the crowd, representing her tribal nation as Little Miss Seminole at nine years old.
"It's inspiring how two strong girls went up there and got elected," Wise said.
![Emilia Wise, 2024-2025 Little Miss Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Adyson Beaver, 2024-2025 Miss Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, and Annalees Martinez, 2024-2025 Junior Miss Seminole Nation of Oklahoma (left to right) watch their tribe's inauguration ceremony on September 6, 2025, becoming inspired by what this means for the future of the Seminole Nation. "Never in my life would I [think to] see two women be both chief and second chief in office, but I'm here for the change," Beaver said. "I feel like it'll be good, and I'm just excited for what's in front of us."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7e71b9a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4040x2693+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc0%2F06%2Fd7c8effc487e9f12fc3ab52372f3%2Fosu0316.jpg)
Assistant Chief Harjo made some of her dresses, she said, holding the traditional gown she sported at the inauguration.
"So that made me happy that she won," Wise said. "And it's kind of cool to see somebody that's really nice [up there]."
When Harjo was sworn into office, Joel Factor stood by her side as her close friend. She's proud to see a shakeup of representation, highlighting hardworking women.
"I think that they're going to show more women that anything's possible, that we can do more than what we were born [or] raised to do," Factor said.
Some in the community may need to adjust to having two women leading the tribal nation, Factor noted. But she said the change is worth it.
"Women can do more than just make dresses, bead, show culture," Factor said. "They can have a voice."
The inauguration and swearing in of the new council came after former chief Lewis Johnson challenged the August 9 run-off election results.
Dan Factor, Seminole Nation Election Appeals Board Chair, said Johnson's testimony stemmed from some Seminole citizens claiming they never received absentee ballots. But he said the board didn't find discrepancies in their system.
"We could find no evidence that there was a violation of Title Ten," Dan Factor said. "There's always an appeal process available to the candidates, and it's very seldom that there's an appeal. But there is sometimes."
The election appeals board upheld the results a day before the inauguration, paving the way for Seminole Nation history to be made.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
