WINNER – Cosplay Best in Show – Choctaw Queen Amidala

I’m Laura Huskey, I’m a 23 year old Choctaw citizen with Cherokee Shawnee descent. I’m a digital artist, but recently picked up sewing in the last year so that I could make skirts for my sisters and make my own regalia.

My cosplay is a Queen Amidala cosplay, with a Choctaw spin. Based off of our traditional clothing, I tried adding several details that added a cultural flair, while still being true to the details iconic to the character. For her face paint, I replaced it with “bridle” tattoos or inchunwa, which are traditional tattoos that go across the cheeks which were commonly worn by Choctaw women. For her crown, I made a Choctaw round comb. For her hair, I styled it in the look of a Choctaw bun, but made it a lot bigger.

Padmé has been my all-time favorite character ever since I was really little. I grew up playing Lego Star Wars with my brother and watching all the movies and I was obsessed. About 4 months ago, I had the idea to indigenize Padmé and thought her Queen Amidala outfit would translate really well. I wanted to see my favorite character represented in a style that I could resonate with and see myself in. There were barely any Native characters growing up, let alone Choctaw specifically, and I desperately wanted to see a character who was beautiful, strong, and not a weird token character. I wanted to see one that dressed like me. I made this for all the other little Native kids that never saw themselves in their favorite characters growing up.

I am always so happy to see Indigenous people in the nerd scene. It shows everyone else that we are still here, still thriving, and that we can be involved in pop culture just as much as everyone else can. Our creativity has no boundaries!