Although Nanabah Sam can be seen walking the runway at New York Fashion Week, she was once a Cortez girl who modeled just for fun.
Sam, known to the modeling community as Nanabah Grace, had just finished a sunrise shoot in Los Angeles, something she described as a “punk industrial shoot” to continue building her range and portfolio as a model.
Modeling for labels like Ralph Lauren and appearing in an upcoming Netflix show, Sam said she never would have imagined she'd be modeling at the level she is today.
“High school me is definitely screaming,” she said.
Before graduating from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 2019, Sam modeled with local photographers as a hobby. She attended Grand Canyon University in Phoenix with the goal of becoming a therapist. At that time, modeling wasn’t even on her radar.
“Modeling was very intimidating to me, because there just aren’t a lot of Indigenous models, so I really didn’t think anything of it,” she said. “I still just did it for fun … but I never thought I could make a career out of it.”
During her sophomore year of college, however, she was scouted. A woman from Ignacio reached out to Sam during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked her if she'd be interested in modeling. After they talked, she sent Sam’s photographs to an IMG scout.
In the spring of 2021, IMG Models, a top modeling agency, reached out to Sam and convinced her to give modeling a try.
“They kind of talked me into it,” Sam said. “I explained to them, I’m going to school. I have a plan. I wanted to get my master’s degree.”
After researching the modeling industry and reflecting on past experiences modeling for fun, Sam decided to give it a shot and signed with IMG in November 2021.
“I knew that if things went well, I would love to do it,” Sam said. “I decided to send it. I was like, ‘You know what? I’m young. I might get to travel, who knows what will happen.’”
Sam’s first runway show was in March 2022 for a Jacquemus show in Hawaii. Sam was still in college at that time.
“It was my first bigger modeling job,” Sam said. “I think I wrote two essays in my hotel in Hawaii.”
In-between graduating from GCU and moving to Los Angeles, Sam split her time between Cortez and wherever she got a modeling job. She also worked at FB Organics and Run + Hike between modeling gigs.
“Melanie and Darren, the owners, were such a big help at the start of my career because they allowed me to just drop things and go,” Sam said. “They were such a big support through that whole process while I was still living in Cortez, and honestly without them I definitely wouldn’t have been able to move to LA”
In 2022, Sam was picked up by the film agency Elevate Entertainment, despite not having acting experience. Soon after, Sam started going to acting classes on top of modeling.
“I’m very down to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Sam said. “There was a point in my career I got so nervous and had to tell myself, ‘Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Sit in the uncomfortable and it will become comfortable.’”
Within five months, Sam had landed the role in the Netflix series “American Primeval,” which is directed by Peter Berg. The show will be released Jan. 9 on Netflix. Sam plays the part of the Shoshone warrior Kuttaambo'i.
“She’s real mean, I’m going to be honest,” Sam said. “It was very exciting.”
To fully fit the role of Kuttaambo'i, Sam said she had to gain 25 pounds in three months. They filmed from March 2023 to June 2023, but the writer strike in Hollywood kept the show from finishing until February of this year.
Once filming ended, Sam dove back into modeling for brands like Quay Eyewear, Ralph Lauren, Grace Ling, K. Lookinghorse, Jacques Marie Maj, LoveShackFancy, Maybelline, Ed Hardy and more.
She also recently modeled for Wonderwest by Bootbarn, which will also air in January, and modeled in a Vogue issue with Quannah Chasinghorse. She hopes to begin modeling for more high-fashion brands in the future.
“I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful, wonderful people, photographers, makeup artists, hairstylists, creative directors, who are just so brilliant and amazingly talented,” Sam said. “I never would have imagined that this is where I would be.”
While learning the ropes of modeling and living in Los Angeles, Sam said a special group of people have helped encourage her to keep going.
“It’s been a journey, for sure. I’ve had my ups and downs, my moments of, ‘Do I want to keep doing this?’ The industry is hard and I’m a sensitive, sensitive person,” Sam said.
The Indigenous modeling community has continuously picked her up and supported her.
“Since I stepped into modeling, especially as an Indigenous model, I’ve been able to meet other amazing Indigenous jewelers and fashion designers that are leading the way in showing that we’re here too,” Sam said. “There’s just something that’s just so beautiful about working with Indigenous designers … there’s a different energy about it, like Native excellence, and it brings a smile to my face.”
Sam has also been nominated for outstanding runway model by IndigenousTV.
After experiencing what she has in the few years since she became a model, Sam hopes that other young people in Cortez will chase their dreams and believe in themselves.
“You can really do anything you want to as long as you’re willing to push yourself a little bit further out of your comfort zone, to broaden your perspective,” Sam said. “It’s one of those things that’s challenging, but nothing’s fun without a challenge.”
Despite moving away from Cortez to pursue her dreams, Sam expressed gratitude for her hometown.
“Cortez is always going to be my home, but it’s been a beautiful process of meeting people and broadening my perspective on so many different things in the world since just moving to LA,” Sam said. “People would be surprised about how many people know where Cortez is. Cortez is well known and people love it just as much as we do.”
