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
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.
“Body Ritual among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner was a very interesting read. It took me a while to actually, fully understand the meaning of the article. The first time that I read through the article I was dumbfounded on how strange the rituals described in the article were. I genuinely thought that the author was describing a very primitive culture found in a remote area of the Americas and did not have the slightest clue that the author was talking about the American culture found in the United States. Originally, the article made me wonder how, in such an advanced world, there could still be such a primitive culture as the one described in the article. The article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner opened my eyes to how another person may look at the American culture and how strange it may seem to them.
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.
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.
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,
“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.
In reading one, Body Rituals Among the Nacirema, since this is my second time reading this article this year I have a clear understanding of what the Nacirema tribe believes to be deviant and how they seek to get the deviance out of their daily lives. This community believes that their bodies are deviant, hence men and women would visit a godly like medicine man to perform what we would consider as deviant medical
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
In Horace Miner’s article, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”, he talks about a tribe and describes their odd behavior. He tells about how the tribe performs these strange daily rituals and how their peculiarity is extreme, but in fact he is actually speaking of Americans as a whole (Miner). Miner uses this style of writing to more effectively prove his point: that Americans are ethnocentric.
How is a normal ritual a basic necessary component of human cultural behavior, and how this normal cultural behavior can change into a disorder.
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.
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...