"Thus it was, grandchildren, that I began my day as Kii Yazhi and ended it as Ned Begay.”
Significance of this statement:
The story of how he ended up with a different name at the end of the day is the meaning of this statement to me. Because the white teacher didn't understand their language and didn't realize that Biye means "son of" in Navajo, there were so many Begays. So he gave him the name Biye, spelled "Begay" as he had heard it. Other white men followed suit. That's why there are so many Begay Navajo families. He was relieved that he didn't have another John for a first name. The white man was tired of writing the name John by the time he got to him. As a result, he was given the same first name as the teacher's uncle, "Ned," who had died.
