Читать книгу American Indian Ghost Stories of the West - Antonio Sr. Garcez - Страница 5

This book of ghost stories is a revision of my previous work, “American Indian Ghost Stories of the Southwest.” With this latest expanded work, I’ve reached a broader selection of American Indian experiences with spirits. I’ve included not simply the two states of Arizona and New Mexico, but added California and Colorado. As with my original book, the stories contained within these pages, are not traditional stories. They are real and told to me in an interview format. Almost all of the individuals I interviewed for this book are American Indians who have had first-hand encounters with ghosts. These individuals have seen, and in some cases have been spoken to, even physically touched by spirit(s). A few of these individuals are not American Indian, but have an American Indian connection to their stories. I believe the inclusion of Hispanic, Anglo, African American and Japanese imparts a certain interesting quality.

My interviews required a considerable amount of editing. As anyone knows who has conducted interviews by transcribing from tape to the written page, the process is not as simple as it might first appear. Careful attention must be paid in order to keep the right “feeling” of the interview. Staying true to the emphasis presented by the interviewee, keeping the subject matter in context, and attempting to represent in words facial expressions and hand gestures can be challenging, but is not impossible. I also attempted to keep the narrative flow and the patois of the interviewee as close to genuine as possible, arranging sentences in an orderly manner for the story to proceed smoothly and be understood clearly. While this editing was necessary, it does not detract from the story’s principal subject matter.

The stories speak for themselves. Undoubtedly, some of them will arouse curiosity, speculation, fear, and even cause a few of you to probe further into the subject of the paranormal. I am content to leave you with more questions than answers. In future books I intend to survey other regions and sub-topics of the United States, compiling a collection of similar stories. I never have an idea where all this research of eyewitness accounts will lead. Frankly, like you, I am just along for the ride, and thus far it has been a ride of extraordinary wonder and unexpected amazement. Ghost stories engage me.

I am aware that it is simplistic to overemphasize the negative aspects of ghosts as evil or scary. However, focusing on these points alone promotes neither a positive nor hopeful view of our own end result. The best definitions of the existence of ghosts must be viewed through our own personal traditions of cultural and spiritual beliefs. This being said, I know that ghosts and spirits do exist and are manifest among us. Lastly, to all the individuals whom I interviewed for this book, I sincerely thank and wish you all beauty of strength, beauty of patience, beauty of sacrifice, and the internal beauty that ultimately manifests with experience, wisdom and humor.

— Antonio R. Garcez