Of Ghosts, Horses, and Psychopaths

Abstract

Recognition and respect for the cultures of Native Americans constitutes a basic requirement for cancer care and education approaches. This reflection shares the insights gained in fieldwork excavations in a pre-Apache archeological site on the Cibaque reservation. Despite the ghost pollution associated with contact with the dead, the Apache invited me to be a sponsor for a young girl’s coming of age ceremony. I owed this gracious invitation to the wild horses, for the Apache had observed the horses’ responses to my calls. Since horses are considered spiritually sensitive animals, their acceptance was an indicator of my resistance to ghost pollution. Therefore, I was a strong contender as a sponsor. My days among the tribe made me a better listener and observer, and thus a better physician to the cancer patients I continue to serve as a radiologist.