Emma Bodie Begay

Who was Emma Bodie Begay?

Emma Bodie Begay, of Prewitt, McKinley County, New Mexico, was a Navajo tribal member and purported supercentenarian.

Begay taught the ancient ways and connections of the Navajo people. She was said to be the oldest Navajo member, and the oldest person in the world at her death aged 119.

Her age has not been confirmed by longevity researchers. However, if confirmed, it would make her the last known person from the 1880s. The last verified person born in the 1880s was María Capovilla.

At the time of Begay's death, the oldest confirmed living person in the world was Japanese woman Yone Minagawa.

In mid-2007, it was disclosed that Begay's Social Security records had her as born in 1896.