While analyzing “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” I noticed that the rituals Miner were referencing were all American rituals. There were subtle hints, for instance, America was written within the title just spelled backwards. Even though I recognized the rituals Miner mentioned in his article are still very common for most Americans, it was still peculiar to read about. Regardless of how strange Miner was able to phrase American daily rituals he helped me notice the strange rituals we have today.
The most interesting aspect I found in Miner’s article was his ability to make Nacirema people appeal so foreign, but yet be so obvious. Miner noted that the Nacirema are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles (503). Miner makes it sound like this society is miles away from civilization. However, at the same time he also states that this society is in North America. Miner’s tone is so unique throughout the article it almost sounds mythical. For instance, Miner mentions how a man’s only hope is to avert the ugliness of a human body only be powerful influences of rituals and ceremonies (503).
Miner explains the lengths the Nacirema people are willing to go through to keep their appearance up to quota. Miner insists “The holy-mouth man opens the client’s mouth and, using the above-mentioned tools, enlargers any hole’s which decay may have created in the teeth. Magical materials are put into these holes. If there are no naturally occurring holes in the teeth, large sections of one or more teeth are gouged out so that the supernatural substances can be supplied.” Miner was able to describe this ritual as strange and even a bit barbaric, but when phrased in latent terms this ritual is just a typical trip to the
forefront of time, never waning and never dying out. It has evolved overtime to include interesting ways of worship and faith basis. From the standard worship of God, or he who is all powerful, to the ideological notion that our bodies are occupied by alien spirits who were brought to earth long ago and killed off due to overpopulation of their planet, religion has definitely come a long way. One such interesting religious practice that I’d like to discuss, is the snake-handling Pentecostal Christians of the Appalachian Mountains. Furthermore, I will discuss the relevancy to the groups’ stereotype and attempt to showcase how it’s virtually nonexistent in today’s society as it used to be by comparing and contrasting Mary Lee Daugherty’s piece
Miner does an exceptional job in disguising the Nacirema as Americans. Some of the things he disguises are the bathroom, which he says is a cleansing shrine. He disguises the medicine chest as the main device in the shrine, a bundle of hog hairs on a stick as a toothbrush, and magical potions as medicine (Miner).
Neil Diamond reveals the truth behind the Native stereotypes and the effects it left on the Natives. He begins by showing how Hollywood generalizes the Natives from the clothing they wore, like feathers
Human needs are similar- health, physical appearance, human body and economic resources to meet these needs. Nacirema culture bears some semblance to more civilized culture. While reading this article it seems most of the practices are similar with modern culture. A major difference is the magic, ritual and the crude method of doing things. One of the cultural practices that stood out for me is the “holy-mouth-men” ritual, which seems like what a dentist will do. I also find interesting the diagnostic ability of the diviner.
The first being that Deloria makes this writing very entertaining to read because he makes fun of the anthropologists which is not something one may see often because most people believe that anthropologists are some sort of “higher being” that seems to know no wrong. He also points out extensive flaws in the way anthropologist performed their research. One way being how anthropologist seem to treat the Indians more like test subjects rather than the actual human beings that they are. This article also appeared to open many anthropologists’ eyes because modern anthropologists seem to hold a better understanding of the responsibility they have concerning the people that they study.
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times, or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the Sonqo area.
The growing practice of Neo-Paganism in America has caused many to turn their heads. The misunderstanding of the religion has caused many to equate the practitioners with the popular conception of typical "witches," that perform black magic rituals, satanic sacrifices, and engage in devil-inspired orgies. After many years, the Neo-Pagan community has cleared up many misconceptions through the showing that many of them do not engage in activities, and are rather participating in a religion, just as those would that participate in a Christian community. It's unacceptance continues, perhaps due to its non-conformity to the ideal of worshipping a Christian God. Through the use of ethnography, anthropologists and sociologists are able to present the public with a much different view than what we are bombarded with in popular media.
He then states that man 's only hope is to change their unwanted characteristics with the help of various rituals and ceremonies. In order to perform these ceremonies a shrine which is present in every household is necessary. This leads one to believe that as individuals, we are going to make mistakes and have imperfections in life. However, through our beliefs, church, and faith; then we are able to get through or survive our circumstance. Miner later becomes more in depth in his thinking and reporting. He discussed various “rituals” performed daily by the Naciremas. An example is the use of shrine. Miner states, “The family enters the shrine room which I see as a bathroom. In the bathroom each member bows his head before the font or sinks and begins a rite of cleansing”. Shrine use can be interpreted as the daily routine of waking up, entering the bathroom and removing items from the medicine cabinet to wash face, and brush teeth. Miner continues using cliché’s throughout his article. In another part of the article, he describes “holy mouth-men” in my opinion, viewed as medical or witch doctors. A phrase used in the article, “Were it not for the rituals of the mouth, they believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friend 's dessert them and their lovers reject them.” Basically, he is referring to a dentist. Most of Nacirema culture makes it a routine/ritual to make sure a dentist is seen yearly to make sure their teeth are clean, cavity free, gingivitis free, etc. The Nacirema’s might take this for granted other cultures or (outsiders) may not have this opportunity and see it as a need. The few examples sighted would illustrate the vanity side of Nacirema’s in which so much is expected and taken for
the deities and attempt to explain the psychological necessity of these rituals. An examination will be made of the typical forms of rituals, and cite their effects,
In “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”, Horace Miner (1956) revisits the rituals of a North American group, the Nacirema, as first described by Professor Linton in the early 1900s. Miner depicts these people as quite vain; obsessive over money, appearance and health. While the economic status of a Nacirema individual is extremely important, nothing compares to the significance of the rituals of the body. These rituals tend to involve various steps that allow the Nacirema people to present themselves to the world in their fittest, most beautiful form. The majority of these rituals are performed by the individual in their own home, in extreme privacy. The body is viewed as a disgusting vessel, in need of constant upkeep to be presentable to others. The Nacirema home contains one or more ‘shrines’, devoted to transforming the body into the definition of health and beauty. The main purpose of the shrine is to hold charms and magical potions, bought from
“Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” explains that magical beliefs and practices is a big part of being Native American. They feel that they must practice their rituals daily to get a sense of belonging in the community. Nacirema Indians have a shrine which they keep charms and magical potions. They believe without them, no member can live. They perform rituals with these potions to make the ill healthy again, once the potion has been used it is put in the shrine box to be kept; normally these boxes are full or overflowing with potions. There are so many that the Narcirema Indians normally don’t know what all of them are and what they do, so they don’t use them again. One of the most common rituals performed is the mouth-rite; this includes inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with magical powders, and then moving the bundle around in the mouth in a highly formalized series of gestures.
How is a normal ritual a basic necessary component of human cultural behavior, and how this normal cultural behavior can change into a disorder.
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997). Miner, H. Body Ritual Among the Nacirema. American Anthropologist 58 (1956). Tambiah, S. J. & Co., Ltd. Magic, Science, Religion and the scope of Rationality (Cambridge University Press, 1990). Taylor, C. Rationality.
AS a dentist one should be strongly determined to devote selflessly for the betterment of mankind .Patient usuall...
Firstly anthropologists studied here have given us the over arching structural importance of religious ritual to social power in unity and cohesion of ideas provided by such rituals. TO do this though they had to examine the actual rituals in society and the purpose they also serve within the temporal space they occupy.