Photo By Spc. Joshua Zayas-Sabogal | Cpl. Adriane Begay, a multi-channel transmissions system operator assigned to 588th...... read more read more
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Looking back at her family of 14 for the last time, a young and impressionable woman hesitantly entered the threshold of her new military life. The young woman knew that leaving her family would be hard, but her insatiable hunger to be and do more with her life pushed her to become a U.S. Soldier.
Adriane Begay is a corporal in the U.S. Army working as a multichannel transmissions system operator, with 588th Brigade Engineer Battalion. Begay stated that being a Native American and a sister of 10 has helped her journey of becoming a leader in the military.
Growing up on the Navajo reservation located in Northern Arizona, Begay spent most of her time with her 10 younger siblings, tending to her family’s farm on weekends when she was home from school.
“They were pretty much all I had,” said Begay. “We were in boarding school between third and eighth grade, so we were together Monday through Friday. When the weekend would roll around, we would go back to my grandparents’ house and help tend to the horses and the animals.”
Begay and her siblings lived with their mother and grandparents as she grew up. She described how living in a smaller town was a big part of her childhood. Not having much to do, she looked for solace in her family members.
“We lived in a very small town, and my grandparents lived in a smaller one-- Coal Mine Mesa, Arizona,” Begay said. “There were no stores or anything around there.”
Begay described her family as hard-working, but filled with loss. Some of her family members worked for most of their lives, unfortunately continuing to work until their passing.
“My mother owned a transportation business that was also an elderly care business,” Begay said. “My grandmother worked for the school district for 20 years before passing away. My grandfather worked as a silversmith before also passing away.”
Religiously connected to their Native American heritage, Begay’s family was always invested in the church. According to Begay, her family's practices molded her into the person she is today.
“Growing up, we would have meetings in the teepees, depending on the situation that was happening,” she said. “We would have baby's first laugh ceremonies, Squaw dances or other ceremonies that we would conduct for our protection and better health.”
Aside from the usual traditions practiced, Begay also participated in a ceremony called the “Kinaalda,” which is a Navajo puberty ceremony that celebrates the becoming of a woman. The ceremony lasts approximately four days and is generally held on the fourth night after the first evidence of a maiden’s entrance into womanhood.
Begay stated that she hopes to continue to bring life to these Navajo customs through her children. These Navajo customs are a beautiful way of connecting her children with their family and ancestors.
“I plan for my children to go through the same ceremony as me,” she said. “My son will go through a Navajo manhood ceremony as well.”
According to Begay, although she grew up with many siblings, living in such a small town caused her to struggle to find and develop herself. She had taken on sports during high school, but nothing ever made her feel different until she decided to enlist into the military.
“Honestly, I don’t know what fully made me enlist, but when I had thought about it, no one in my family had ever been in the military,” said Begay. “I decided ‘Let me see where this takes me.’ I wanted to see if this would take me to a better spot than where I was.”
According to Begay, her prior experience in dealing with her siblings helped her tackle the military in her own way.
“I just view things better, I suppose,” Begay said. “I see what I think is good and bad leadership, and I use my prior knowledge to understand how I want to be as a leader.”
One of Begay's biggest supporters is her husband, Nicholas Gonzalez, a retired U.S. Army Soldier. Gonzalez stated that his wife has always been a great leader.
“She's an awesome leader,” said Gonzales. “When she became a corporal and a team chief, she would ask questions. If I didn't have the answers, she'd reach out and ask others or do her own research to make sure that any answers she got were correct. I know she cares about her Soldiers a lot. She wishes the best for them.”
Begay expressed her excitement for Native American Heritage Month as a great way to show support to her heritage. Not accustomed to her culture being celebrated by others makes her proud to see her people acknowledged.
“It’s nice to have a month that celebrates our people,” said Begay. “It celebrates Indigenous people for who we are and how far we’ve come-- not only within our reservation but overall within the United States and the military. I think it’s really cool.”
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| Date Taken: | 11.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2021 15:02 |
| Story ID: | 410038 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Keeping Tradition Alive, by SPC Joshua Zayas-Sabogal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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