Representing a Nation: Native American Competitors Embrace Being Standard Bearers in Pro Rodeo

With support from so many back home, professional cowboys and cowgirls savor the opportunity to showcase their talents and Native American heritage while setting an example for future generations.

For the last 20 years, Derrick Begay has been a force at the PRCA level in team roping. A proud member of the Navajo Nation, Begay has embraced his role as an example for the next generation of Native American rodeo athletes and stays connected to his roots. / Hailey Rae/For PRCA

Derrick Begay has been under the bright lights of Las Vegas at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – 10 times to be precise. He’s won many of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s most historic events over his two decades as a team roper. He’s partnered with legendary cowboys like Clay O’Brien Cooper and Cesar de la Cruz to accomplish what many only dream of. 

But long before the sponsors and the success, there was something more simple. There were uncles and cousins in familiar surroundings. There were people of a similar culture gathering for a summertime event. There was Victor Begay, Derrick’s father, and an Indian Rodeo competition somewhere on a Native American reservation. 

All journeys start somewhere. Begay’s began here. 

“(My dad) knew I probably wasn’t very good and we probably weren’t going to win nothing, but he probably thought the only way this kid is going to get better is if I rope with him where I can kind of show him the ropes and put him in those conditions with those pressure moments,” Begay said. “(Indian Rodeos) taught me how to compete and how to win. It was the base that I needed. It was the foundation. I owe it a lot.”

For many young people growing up out West, rodeo becomes part of their lives early on, especially when their family is involved in ranching or the equine industry. 

Like many Native American children , the quest to shine as a cowboy or cowgirl started with Indian Rodeos. The circuit, which begins early in the summer and culminates with the Indian National Finals Rodeo in the fall, is a place to develop skills and face other Native American competitors from across the country. 

For some, like Begay, the love of rodeo grows beyond the INFR, leading to a career as a PRCA or Women’s Professional Rodeo Association competitor.

Taking it to the next level is more than a source of pride for Native American rodeo athletes, it’s an inspiration, proof that hard work can lead to success in the highest echelon of the sport. 

And at home, that’s something that gets discussed. 

“I know back in the day when (Derrick) started, there was no Cowboy Channel. I just remember hearing about where he was going, what he was doing, what he was winning,” said breakaway roper Danielle Lowman, a member of the Navajo Nation. “It would come back to the reservation, and people would talk about it. Just having that word spread on the Navajo Nation made us feel like we could do it just by hearing other people talk about it.”

Growing up as part of the Navajo Nation, Danielle Lowman often heard of Derrick Begay's success at the PRCA level. Now, as one of the top breakaway ropers in the WPRA, she's making her own mark and setting an example for other up-and-coming Native American rodeo athletes. / Jackie Jenson/For PRCA

Competitors like Begay inspired people like Lowman to blaze their own path forward. As breakaway roping grew in popularity, the Gilbert, Ariz., cowgirl kept pushing, trading jackpot events for some of pro rodeo’s biggest showcases. So far, it has led to a pair of qualifications for the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping and a second-place spot in the standings this year with more than $67,000 in earnings already. 

To be fair, Begay never set out to inspire anyone. He never intended to be an example for other Native American rodeo athletes. But he remembers being the young kid standing by a trailer, waiting for the autograph from the cowboys he idolized many years ago. 

“At first, I didn’t do it for no one else other than myself. But then you start to kind of realize there’s probably other kids that want to do what I do – I know there is. I know there’s kids that want to be a professional cowboy,” Begay said. “So then, I kind of realized I had to set an example and be someone they can look at and see, ‘Hey, if he can do it, I can.’ And I’ve got to do my part to help them or show them or give them some sort of example.”

Throughout the various Native American tribes, rodeo athletes, particularly those competing at the PRCA or WPRA, are often discussed. Hometown pride – or in this case tribal pride – resonates far and wide. 

J.C. Yeahquo continues to get a first-hand lesson in that connectivity throughout the MHA Nation, which includes the Mandan, Hidatsu and Arikara people. 

While his family originally hails from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in northern North Dakota, Yeahquo spent much of his childhood in Oklahoma. This year, in partnership with heeler Buddy Hawkins, the duo have sat near the top of the PRCA team roping world standings since a victory at RodeoHouston back in March. 

He might not have grown up on the reservation, but with each money-earning weekend, Yeahquo finds himself overloaded with social media messages. People he’s never had the opportunity to meet in-person are intently following his exploits, beaming with pride like his win is their own. 

“I didn’t grow up there, I grew up in Oklahoma, but everybody up there knows about me. There’s a lot of people that rope around there and they keep in touch with the rodeo world and they’re just so happy to see the name up there and the hometown on the television,” Yeahquo said. “I’m so happy and so blessed to get the support that I do. I get calls and texts and Facebook messages daily from everybody back home just telling me how much faith they have in me and how I’m representing MHA nation up there. It’s just awesome. I love it.”

While he didn't grow up on the MHA reservation in North Dakota, J.C. Yeahquo is proudly representing his culture and heritage as one of the best team ropers in the PRCA right now. / Courtesy RodeoHouston

Representing at rodeo’s pinnacle is the goal, but it’s the roots that keep them grounded. 

For Begay, that still means climbing in a saddle opposite his dad. Victor Begay was inducted into the 2023 INFR Hall of Fame last year with a career that features a team roping and senior breakaway roping championship. 

Hall of Fame? Yes. Retired? Not a chance. 

Derrick’s PRCA partner is Colter Todd, but at the Indian Rodeos, it’s his dad or an uncle or cousin riding alongside him. He might have come a long way from those humble beginnings, but he’ll never forget where it all started. And it's hard to ignore the INFR's importance to the next wave of cowboys and cowgirls that want to follow in his footsteps.

“(My dad) is still my team roping partner. He was heavily involved with Indian Rodeos before I got to rope with him and still to this day I still get to rope with him. He goes every year and he’s been there and done that, and still going,” Derrick said of his dad. “Pro rodeo is the first priority, but Indian Rodeo is right there along with it. If there’s one close to home, I’m going to go. I ain’t going to miss it. I’ve been doing those Indian Rodeos my whole life and any chance I get to go to one, I go. They are never overlooked. I always plan on being there.”