Nacirema rituals. Body Ritual among the Nacirema by Horace Miner 2019-01-20

The Nacirema

. This part of the rite includes scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument. It seems that the boxes were for them all along, not another being or deity. On , the anthropologist notes: The vowel system of Secular Nacireman consists of nine phonemically distinct vowels distinguished on the basis of three degrees of tongue height and three degrees of tongue advancement. The chief then speaks a last prayer that is only for the ears of his subordinates. The article, Body Ritual among the Nacirema, was found to be very interesting to read. A person doomed to have such a body can only hope for the operation of specific rituals and ceremonies.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema: Classic Anthropology

Beneath the charm box is a small basin. For example, in order to strengthen the moral qualities of their children, they force them to perform ritual mouth rinses. At this point, it becomes easier to understand and laugh at the folly of our ways. Sometimes such jokes make scientists to step forward and to observe the problem in question from a different angle. This sort of ceremonial treatment is necessitated by the fact that the excreta are used by a diviner to ascertain the course and nature of the client's sickness. While almost every family has at least one shrine in the home, the ritual ceremonies associated with it are not family ceremonies but are private and secret.

Nacirema Essay Sample

Things like describing the territory where America is located. In fact, Miner wrote a satirical article that ridiculed the Americans. The dictionary defines an Anthropologist as a person that studies human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture Webster 2011. Curiously enough, however, most informants insist that only five vowels exist in the language: these are called ˀey, ˀiy, ˀay, ˀow, and yuw, and are invariably cited in precisely that order. This ritual is common practice, as it is looked down upon by many Nacirema to celebrate oneself -- this would be considered by the clan to be a breach of humility. Horace Miner clearly took a lot of time to learn as much about the Nacirema culture as he possibly could.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

Werner Hammerstingl's in Swinburne University, Austrailia. The sociological concept of culture is shown in nearly every paragraph of this article. The mysterious fall of the Nacirema. Little is known of their origin, though tradition states that they came from the east. During those there are several major stakeholders playing their ritual roles.

Body Ritual among the Nacirema Essay Example for Free

My first impressions when reading this article was that it was gruesome and unnecessary to read. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Rather a patriarchal structure is possible. Poor families just try to imitate and hang portraits in the shrine to make it seem like they fit. While there's nothing wrong with drinking, of course a little liquid courage can be helpful to tame the nerves on dates , don't allow alcohol to entirely sway your judgment or make decisions for you that you might not make when sober. ¶ 11 It is to be hoped that, when a thorough study of the Nacirema is made, there will be careful inquiry into the personality structure of these people.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay

These practitioners have an impressive set of paraphernalia, consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. Abstract Horace Miner wants his readers to learn the value of what a real culture should be and how Americans today are really like. A few women afflicted with almost inhuman hypermammary development are so idolized that they make a handsome living by simply going from village to village and permitting the natives to stare at them for a fee. After leaving a hint about America, with the Washington statement, there are several more examples throughout the story. As with the title Washington was spelled backwards to add an interesting twist to this story. They have to lift it up and tie it to the top of their vehicle, and then drive very slowly so the tree will not fall off the car.

Essay Sample: Nacirema: Rituals and Beliefs

In fact, the wealth of the owners of the houses is often measured in terms of the number of such ritual shrine rooms in a house. Data can be organised in many ways, and is normally specific to the person organising it. Miner personalizes the examination by relating to the reader through the routine care of the human body by discussing such topics as the number of bathrooms in a house, dentistry, hospitals, prescription medicine, childbirth, breastfeeding, and psychiatry Miner, 1956, p. Miner wrote all, but the last paragraph and some of paragraph 12, in this concept. According to, Professor Linton, who brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago, claims the culture of these people are very poorly understood Miner, n. Mothers are particularly suspected of putting a curse on children while teaching them the secret body rituals.

Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay

Defecation and urination are more than biological functions; they are cultural activities that involve artifacts and technologies that change through time. These heraldic animals celebrate the powers of the combatants and are part of the procedure that prepares the spectators for the core ritual. When pregnant, women dress so as to hide their condition. Psychological shock results from the fact that body secrecy is suddenly lost upon entry into the latipso. Female clients, on the other hand, find their naked bodies are subjected to the scrutiny, manipulation and prodding of the medicine men.

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay

The holy-mouth-man opens the client's mouth and, using the above mentioned tools, enlarges any holes which decay may have created in the teeth. Minor does an excellent job in describing the American culture in a way that sounds strange and foreign by engaging in these painful and tortuous acts. No matter how ill the supplicant or how grave the emergency, the guardians of many temples will not admit a client if he cannot give a rich gift to the custodian. Competing villages have a selection of its most beautiful pubescent virgins brought into the arena where the mock battle will occur and make a point of rousing the emotional intensity. The territory that Miner is referring to in his essay, the one that lies between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles, is America. The essay made made fun of American culture without directly stating the name of the culture, other than including the word American spelled backwards.