Begay said he was raised by his grandparents on the Lac Courte d'Oreilles reservation, and he identifies himself as part of the wolf clan of the Ojibwe people. Begay grounded his discussion about leadership and sovereignty in American Indian spirituality.
Spirituality is at the center of traditional American Indian ways.
Begay practices his spiritual traditions daily. Sovereignty is usually defined only in terms of its non-Indian legal basis. American Indians have a special legal relationship with the United States government. Tribes have worked to maintain their sovereignty because American Indians want to maintain their traditional ways. We are a proud people.