Jaycie Begay

Santa Clara Pueblo, Navajo, Northern Ute

Age: 20

I am a member of Kha Po Owinge, from Diné and Ute descent. I am a student at the Institute of American Indian Art majoring in Indigenous Studies and minoring in Studio Art. I create digital art, beadwork and, more recently, regalia for my community. I am passionate about healing intergenerational trauma and raising awareness about issues Indigenous communities face.

This piece is about how my home is my family and cultural values. This has a Pueblo woman in the middle, and each section of the background describes my family and where I come from. There are mountains for my brother, leaves for my mom, corn for my grandma, stars and flowers for my niece, rock formations for my dad and a butterfly for me. No matter where I go, I carry my family with me and my culture with pride.