Apaches deploy silence specifically in situations that are ambiguous or unpredictable

Evidence

A study by the anthropologist Keith Basso of Apache subjects lists the circumstances wherein participants routinely adopt silent behavior. They include meeting strangers, early stages of courtship, being with “someone for whom you sing,” sitting with the bereaved, and greeting children just returned from Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools. Insults too are met with silence. In sum, Apaches turn silent when the situation is ambiguous, unpredictable, potentially dangerous even. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 387

In sum, Apaches turn silent when the situation is ambiguous, unpredictable, potentially dangerous even. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 387

Categorization

• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 387
• XREF: connects to: Misreading the cultural meaning of silence can cause fatal international incidents — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 365