Hard to swallow: race-based medicine
The helicopter hovers over the ledge and then runs for several minutes across the red-rock floor of the Grand Canyon. It ducks down into another, deeper valley with golden trees, fields of Indian corn and horses that sleep in the autumn sun. The land down below, as it is known, is the world of the Native American tribe the Havasupai people of the blue-green water. It is, in some respects, a natural paradise; though on closer inspection the houses are small and propped up on stilts, with rubbish trampled into the dirt.
The atmosphere over Supai, the town where the helicopter lands, is one of a troubled Utopia. People wear a pinched and unhappy look, strangers are treated with caution. The Havasupai say the blood of their ancestors has been taken and exploited. They blame a local giant for this alleged misappropriation: Arizona State University (ASU). The university’s project, both sides agree, was to… [more]
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