Walker's uncle and aunt, Jimmie and Annie Begay, had two boys about Walker's age. In my mind I see the two boys, Tommy and Jack, looking like these two. I had a good friend who told his son every day to always smile at and be good friends with everyone. He became the most popular and best loved young man I have ever known. When you read about Tommy and Jack I think you will fall in love with them.
The Navajo are some of the greatest horseman I have ever known. I was told when they defeated the Spanish the Spanish abandoned many horses and sheep. I was also told it was the Navajo who
This is the type of home Walker would have lived in with Jimmie and Annie Begay which was part of the reason for his culture shock.
introduced the horse to many of the plains tribes. On the reservation there are many wild horses which I call mustangs. It was these horses the boys broke and trained . Jimmie would tell you the hardest part of the training is getting the horse to the snubbing post as shown in the picture above. I liked braking my horses this way.
This is somewhat the way Annie would have looked. Navajo clothing is bright and beautiful and the Navajo are some of the greatest silver smiths in the world. I bought
a beautiful turquoise necklace from a man whose wife told me that her husband was an artist because he prayed that the stones would tell him how they wanted to look in the jewelry he was creating. I believed her.
The Four Corners area has the Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Zuni and Apache reservations. I don’t know what it is about this area but I believe some of the largest deer and elk have come from these reservations. I was told it must be something in the soil or what they are eating. What ever it is, it's working. If you go hunting there, be sure to get one of the local guides and be prepared to have the time of your life.
THE
BEGAY
FAMILY
"My God is Real" (Lyrics in Navajo) found on You Tub