Kelsey Begaye

Kelsey A. Begaye
5th President of the Navajo Nation
In office January 12, 1999[1] – January 14, 2003
Vice President	Taylor McKenzie
Preceded by	Milton Bluehouse Sr.
Succeeded by	Joe Shirley Jr.
Personal details
Born	January 7, 1951[1] Kaibito, Arizona
Nationality	Navajo Nation and USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marie Begaye
Occupation	Pastor
Religion	Christian

Kelsey A. Begaye (born January 7, 1951) was elected the fifth president of the Navajo Nation in November 1998, defeating fellow Democrat Joe Shirley, Jr. in the general election.^[2] Begaye was elected leader of the largest Indian tribe in the United States, on a platform of moral values based on Diné and Christian cultural traditions and an endorsement from former Navajo President Peterson Zah.^[3] In 2002, he lost his reelection against Shirley.^[4]

Begaye was born and raised on the western part of the Navajo reservation in Kaibito, Arizona. Begaye, along with his seven siblings, were constantly surrounded by alcohol during their childhood due to the fact that their parents were alcoholics. This negatively affected the male children in the family, especially Kelsey. Begaye, himself, became a victim of alcoholism by the time he reached highschool. His illegal habits placed him on probation. He was sent to a boarding school in New Mexico in hopes of saving his future. Unfortunately, his bad behavior didn’t stop there and he joined a gang called Choo-choo. He still has the faded tattoo “CHOO-CHOO” on his left wrist, however, he no longer has any affiliations with this gang.^[5]

Begaye later joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Vietnam for thirteen months. The partying followed him overseas. He spent all of his past time blasting music, drinking alcohol, and smoking marijuana. Begaye was discharged and sent back to the United States in December 1971. He jumped from job to job and was stuck in a state of instability. He was a twenty-four year old, without a job, without a home, wandering around Los Angeles, California. The church, homeless shelters, and his sisters were his sources of shelter. After everything he has been through, he still spent all of his waking hours drinking and partying. Begaye decided to go back to his hometown in Arizona in 1975. He reunited with the other alcoholics in the Kaibito area and continued to party.^[5]

His miraculous conversion to Christianity is the reason for the new man he is today. On January 11, 1976 Begaye stumbled upon a Christian revival tent with a brutal hangover. Instead of going to the hospital as he was expected to do, he stumbled down the aisle, knelt down to his knees, and began to pray. He left the tent later that day as a clean and new man. He has led a life of sobriety ever since. After his conversion, Begaye decided to use his struggling past to help people in his society who suffer from the disease of alcoholism. He became a drug and alcohol counselor and started to gain a positive reputation in his community.^[5]

In 1979 Begaye became a member of the local school board. He then became the secretary treasurer of the Kaibeto chapter, which led to him becoming the president of the Kaibeto chapter. In 1990 he was chosen as the Navajo Nation Council delegate. In 1995 Begaye became speaker of the Navajo Nation Council. In November 1998 he was elected president over Joe Shirley Jr. On January 12, 1999 Begaye was sworn into office, a position that he could not have even imagined accomplishing before his conversion. He was president of the Navajo Nation until January 14, 2003.^[5]

References

Presidents of the Navajo Nation Peterson Zah Albert Hale Thomas Atcitty Milton Bluehouse, Sr. Kelsey Begaye Joe Shirley, Jr. Ben Shelly Russell Begaye