Spllyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
August 18, 2005
Page 7
Begay:
great time
in Australia
(Continued from page 6)
They went to the Currumbin
Wildlife Sanctuary in Gold
Coast, where they saw croco
diles, snakes, turtles, kangaroos,
dingos, Tasmanian devils, koala
bears, all manner of fauna
found only in Australia.
"The crocodile was sleeping,"
Begay said. "The feet on the
thing were big. It was two car
lengths long. I didn't want to
wake him, but I got pictures of
him."
He and the wrestlers also saw
a performance by a group of
Australian aboriginal dancers
and singers.
"That was pretty neat. It was
a whole other thing for me," he
said. "I sing our Native music,
and to listen to their music, the
voices, the beat and their instru
ments, it was neat." ,
Begay and the wrestlers went
to an amusement park. Because
they were there only 90 minutes
or so, they didn't get on many
rides because of long lines.
On the trip, Begay met Na
tive Americans from other
states, including Navajos from
Arizona and Utah and Hopis
from New Mexico.
And he found out that as
much as Australians have an ac
cent to us, Americans have an
accent to Australian ears. "They
said they liked our accent. I said,
We don't have an accent.' But
we do - I figure we both have
accents."
While the team was in Ha
waii, Begay said the locals
thought he was one of them.
"I found that kind of funny,"
he said. "It was kind of neat
being noticed as a local. Even
though I wasn't"
In Hawaii, the team had its
picture taken and was treated to. .
a luau with roast pig and
chicken. - !" 1 ' -
Before the trip to Australia,
Begay had never been on an air
plane before.
"I was getting kind of tight
in my stomach," he said. "What
worried me most was just get
ting over there first before hav
ing any fun."
Begay was happy to come
home on the 20,h, after the 14
hour flight from Sydney to Los
Angeles and subsequent flights
to Las Vegas and Pordand.
"I got back on Wednesday,
and I got the whole weekend off
after I came back," he said. "I
took my Grandma to a powwow
in Post Falls, Idaho.
"I got little homesick the
last couple days in Australia. I
called my Dad, and he said,
'Soak up all you can."'
He said one thing the trip
showed him is that he doesn't
like the faster pace and conges
tion of a city.
"I was glad to breathe in the
fresh air when I got home," he
said. "I was glad to be home safe,
and it was the same way I left
it"
The trip would not have been
possible had he not been able
to raise nearly $4,000, including
airfare and lodging and spend
ing money. Begay and his fam
ily cooked and prepared a num
ber of feeds for the community,
including spaghetti, Indian tacos
and Indian burgers.
"We raffled off a Pendleton
blanket," he said. "I got a lot of
help from my community. The
Confederated Tribes even spon
sored me a little."
He found out that he had
been nominated to participate in
the Down Under Games while
walking down the hall at Madras
High.
"I was called into the office,
and they gave me the letter," he
said. "I gave the letter to my
dad."
He said he was excited at the
prospect of traveling to Austra
lia, but concerned about the
pricetag.
"My Dad said, 'Do you want
to go," Begay said. "I said I'd like
to go, but that's a lot of money.
He said, 'Keep it in the back of
your head.'"
Like Charlene Moody, who
went to Australia about a week
earlier than Begay, he attended
a Down Under Games meeting
in The Dalles to find out more
about the program.
"All of a sudden, we started
raising money," Begay said. "Me
and Charlene did things together,
like we had a movie night at the
Simnasho Longhouse, and every
thing we made, we split 50-50,
and sometimes we did our own
things. It worked out pretty
good."
Since he's been back, Begay
has been fixing fences and
checking water troughs for
Warm Springs Natural Re
sources. I lis focus is on the high
school football season, which for
him begins Monday with the
start of daily doubles at Madras
High School.
"I wouldn't say I'm in really
good shape. I haven't been
working out bard-hitd, but I've
been running, keeping my wind
up," he said. "I'm pretty pumped
. up for football."
Begay is a lineman on both
sides of the ball, and in his se
nior season, the White Buffaloes
will try to improve on their
fourth-place finish in the Tri
Valley League, the best Class 3A
league in the state last year, with
defending champion Wilsonvillc
and runner-up Sherwood.
Though he has wrestled since
he was in middle school, Begay
said he might try basketball his
senior year.
"I grew up playing basket
ball," he said. "I play around here
at the house, but I haven't
played any hard pickup games."
Most of all, Begay said he
wanted to express his gratitude
to the Warm Springs commu
nity for allowing him the chance
to begin his world travels.
"I'd like to thank the Creator
for getting me over there and
getting me back safe," he said.
"I'd like to thank my parents,
elders, my grandparents for be
ing behind me the whole wayj
and everybodj ' rriWarm Springs,'
and to the tribes for pitching in
money for me."
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Horse race:
honoring
longtime friend
(Continued from page 6)
He remembers riding with
David at the Pendleton
Roundup and dressing up as
girls for the women's races.
"We would put a handker
chief on our heads and be girls,
said Heath. "Francis would even
put on lipstick, wear a dress and
put balloons inside his top." One
of the lighter moments Heath
remembers was a time when one
of David's balloons came flying
out at they were nearing the fin
ish line.
The chief reminisced about
how they would fight in board
ing school When they got caught
fighting, they would have to
stand in the hall. While being left
out in the hall, they would begin
elbowing each other and get in
trouble again.
"You do a lot of things that
make you stronger," Heath said.
"As times goes on, you remem
ber things that happened in your
life. Francis might have taught me
something without knowing it
"I can still remember the
race like it was yesterday.
Francis told Franklin Suppah
that he was going to ride
Franklin's horse that day. He
said he wouldn't be riding for
his dad, Thomas David. There
were a lot of riders there that
day, Jim Wesley, Vernon Spino,
George Picard, Sid Miller, and
Rudy Clements," Heath said.
The Chief commented that
he and his family had shared
some very hard times in life's
journey. "Because of the battles
Francis and I had at boarding
school, Francis made me stron
ger for life. It is with that ap
preciation that I want to honor
him this year," said Heath.
M v
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