Local Doc Treats Ryan’s Stomach

???

Ryan had been feeling a bit under the weather with stomach problems, probably the usual tourista stuff. Since no western-style doctor was available for hundreds of kilometers, we did what the locals do. We went to the wizard, Gamara Moida. His title translates to god thief.

This visit was by very special arrangement. It seems that Ryan was the first foranji (foreigner) that the medicine man had ever treated.

The witch doctor put on special clothes for the treatment. There was one patient ahead of Ryan, the Konso Culture Minister.

Then it was Ryan’s turn. He sat down stiff as a board. The wizard said something. Someone translated. “He wants you to relax.”

The wizard emitted some deep guttural sounds, fingered his turquoise-colored beads, felt Ryan’s stomach, threw some water on Ryan, then turned to walk away. When he returned, he jammed his index and thumb deep into Ryan’s stomach area just below the solar plexis. He dug around. He seemed to be searching for something. Slowly he pulled out his fingers holding something. It looked like raw meat, or intestine. Obviously,
this was the problem.

Time will tell if the wizard’s cure worked.