National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson captured Bobby Begay on the Columbia River in 2001. Photo by: Jim Richardson
Susan Hess, May 5, 2020. Bobby Begay died April 24 of COVID-19 complications. He was 51. I met him in 2003 when I was hired to write a newsletter for the U.S. Corps of Engineers as they rebuilt Celilo Village, where he lived.
The Begay name comes from his Navajo father’s line; his mother was of the River People who have lived along the Columbia River for at least 10,000 years. Bobby, I believe, was enrolled in the Yakama Nation.
During the four years I wrote on the reconstruction, Bobby represented Celilo Village on the Wyam Board that advised the Corps on the rebuilding. Olsen Meanus was chief of the community, but the soft-spoken Olsen was often away and when at the meetings rarely spoke up.
But Bobby was a warrior, self-confident, forceful; his stare carried intensity. He was fierce. And he used that fierceness to speak for the people of the village.
Louie Pitt, Bobby Begay, Antone Minthorn in 2006. Photo: Susan Hess
Of all the photos of him, this one from 2006 is my favorite. At one of the first meetings, Bobby sits between Louie Pitt, Governmental Affairs Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (left), and Antone Minthorn, then chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Board of Trustees.
These three men represent for me how the Native American cultures retained their sovereignty. Their intelligence, strength and dedication made the lives of the Native American peoples better.
This spring Celilo Village and the River People lost a champion.
