The surprise of a boojum tree in a desert arboretum. Enter a sportsman's paradise and the land of the Apache Crown Dancers. This is the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in east-central Arizona. Although their traditional religion guides many aspects of their lives, the San Carlos Apaches are a contemporary, bilingual tribe. Where their ancestors once hunted and practiced horticulture, the San Carlos Apache Indians today raise herds of purebred registered Herefords.
Ceremonial rituals invoking the good graces of the elements command the respect of the community.
Perhaps the best known of the ceremonies is the Apache Sunrise Dance. The lifestyles here are far removed from the itinerant wickiup communities of a century ago. Yet health care is still in need of vast improvement. Adapting the old to the new is your challenge at the San Carlos Service Unit. San Carlos Serving about 7,775 people, the Service Unit hospital is in the town of San Carlos, the major population center.