Culture

Fiber artist creates a fitting tribute to his first mentor

Amid the urban sprawl of the Phoenix metro area stood a small hogan. The door was covered with a brown fleece blanket with a Pendleton design.

Alex Lee Begay, 28, of Gamerco, New Mexico, was walking in downtown Gallup over eight years ago and saw a bow on display in one of the stores.

Maintaining and renewing Indigenous cultures begins with one, said Evelyn M. Begay. “It begins with individuals,” explained Begay, a traditional clothing designer from Sanders, Arizona. “Whatever tribe you belong to, you have to have that true self-identity about who you are.”

Grandfather’s teachings show same patterns in stars, land