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Comparing Health Care Systems throughout the world
Comparing Health Care Systems throughout the world
Rituals around the world introduction
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In the article “Body Ritual Among Nacirema” by Horace Miner, the basics of the article mentions how other cultures view American culture as strange. Miner directly makes it feel like the article was written by an outsider. Such as viewing American everyday rituals like brushing one’s teeth and cutting facial hair. Miner also replaces American with Nacirema, which is the reverse spelling of American. Analyzing these practices of Nacirema culture further, this paper shall explain: what practices appear strange to an outsider, how does the article illustrate ethnocentrism and cultural relativity, what problems may occur in accurately observing other cultures and lastly how might others interrupt these practices. Many of the practices that Miner
Medicine had a purpose of curing those maladies for many with similar ills. But to an outsider pulling out these magical packets is not something done in their culture or rather not seen as necessary. These charms and magical potions are given to the people by medicine men, or rather doctors, psychiatrists, and pharmacists. Another strange practice to someone who is an outsider, who doesn’t or may not believe in doctors or one’s who cure the ills. To an outsider, doctors may not even be seen as needed depending on their culture. But to Nacirema, these medicine men are very important and are always in more need. There’s also strange practices involving people called “holy-mouth men” digging in the mouths of another person. Due to the Nacirema culture having a pathological horror and fascination with the mouth. And because they’re superstitious that the mouth has an influence on social relationships. Miner is talking about dentists as being renamed “holy-mouth men” and says a private mouth-rite is seen once or twice a year because people are punctilious about care of the mouth. The care of the mouth differs from culture to
In spite of that, it is only partially because each culture does things differently. Such as the body rituals in the article appear strange to other because of the way our society does them and even values the body more than some other cultures. However, for example, each culture celebrates different holidays differently due to culture or religious views. Furthermore, each culture around the world celebrates Christmas in different and various ways. Such as the food at the dinner table, the tale of ‘Santa’, the presents may also vary as well, and even the way everything is done is also done in different ways globally during Christmas. Even New Years can be another example of how other cultures interrupt and celebrate a certain holiday. The way people of different cultures may view this article not understanding what anything means. Either because the words are challenging to read because some may be illiterate. Or maybe because the have no clue about any of what the rituals are and really believe that the practices of Nacirema are as terrifying as Miner makes them
In the text “Seeing Red: American Indian Women Speaking about their Religious and Cultural Perspectives” by Inés Talamantez, the author discusses the role of ceremonies and ancestral spirituality in various Native American cultures, and elaborates on the injustices native women face because of their oppressors.
The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into
Anthropologist and other Friends is an article by Vine Deloria. This article is about Native Americans and their struggles – mainly with anthropologists. Deloria is very quick in this article to express his hatred towards anthropologist because of the way they “study” the Native Americans. After reading this article one may find three main points to focus on: the significance of the writing, the criticism one may feel towards the writing, and the arguments against the anthropologist laid out in the writing. There are many significant points and findings in this article.
Many parts of the article were well designed to make me truly think about how someone who does not understand the way of life, particularly how Americans take care of their bodies, could see the rituals as strange and even somewhat barbaric. For example, the article states, “ This part of the ritual involves scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument” (Miner 505). In this section, the author is describing the habits of men and he describes the simple act of shaving as a very graphic and gruesome event that involves a man cutting and mangling his face. However, to someone who does not understand
In Barre Toelken’s essay “Seeing with a Native Eye: How Many Sheep Will It Hold?”, the ways in which one culture perceives another and the criteria used to make judgements are explored. Toelken states “I think I can say something about how differently we see things, envision things, look at things, how dissimilarly different cultures try to process the world of reality” (10-11). In essence, Toelken is alluding to how different cultures will interpret their experiences and rituals according to their own set of beliefs and practices. This complicates situations in which the experiences or rituals are not comparable across cultural lines; someone will always be missing an aspect or a significant purpose if they do not try to “see it as much as possible with the ‘native eye’” (12). In other words, one must immerse themselves in the culture they are analyzing, while not comparing it to their own cultural experiences. One must consider all the cultural implications of that specific culture when wondering why things are done a certain way. Toelken provides
...uals, even if they don't agree with them. It really falls to nurses to address the situation properly, and effectively ensure that the cultural communication between the doctor and the patient does not break down. Nurses most of all have to communicate with patients in a healing way, even if they do not agree with mystical remedies because the nurse has to recognize that there is nonetheless a function that mystical ritual remedies do serve, even to western medicine: to comfort the patients and their families. Ancient rituals or customs, retained to some extent or respected by western caregivers, can serve to maintain a healing and positive attitude, and as a psycholgocial support which the nurse can provide through respect and symbolic use of non-western cultural myths as a psychological stimulant to assist the healing process and inspire the patient thereof.
Folk medicine is an important aspect of the Appalachian region. According to Mathews, folk medicine is known in involving diseases or illnesses “which are the products of indigenous cultural development and are not explicitly derived from the conceptual framework of modern medicine” (Mathews 1). Folk or traditional medicine is found in all societies, throughout in history, and predates innovation of modern medicine. Folk medicine also explains roles for “indigenous practitioners”(1) who treat and restore health for the individual and community. Folk medicine beliefs and practices serve for the treatment and prevention of aliments and are resistant to change even when the cultural tradition may have gone extinct.
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
Throughout time, mankind has persistently been seeking ways to maintain their health and to cure those that had not been so fortunate in that task. Just about everything has been experimented with as a cure for some type of illness whether physical, spiritual or mental. There has always been evidence of spiritual healing and it will continue to be an important part of any healing process, large or small. In particular, the roots of Native American Medicine men (often a woman in some cultures) may be traced back to ancient times referred to as Shaman. A special type of healer used by the Indians is referred to as a medicine man (comes from the French word medecin, meaning doctor).
Farrar, 2014 In the U.S., the therapeutic group seldom has approaches to correspond with individuals of societies so drastically unique in relation to standard American society; even a great interpreter will think that it troublesome deciphering ideas between the two separate societies' reality ideas. American specialists, not at all like Hmong shamans, regularly physically touch and cut into the collections of their patients and utilize an assortment of capable medications and meds.
In conclusion, this book gave me a whole new view on life and how we can interact better with different people. The book emphasized that culture is key to understanding people. Sometimes it is hard to connect with others because they are indicated as different but in due time we can adjust. Every culture has their own traditions when it comes to what they eat, what to wear, dating, various ceremonies, holidays and more. Reading this book helped me become more accepting of who I am and where I come from.
How is a normal ritual a basic necessary component of human cultural behavior, and how this normal cultural behavior can change into a disorder.
There are traditions and or rituals that we participate in year after year, even though we have forgotten what the meaning is or where it has come from. Every one of us has experienced some type of ritual or tradition in some form or fashion. Wedding and marriage rituals and traditions also fall true to this. There are different cultures that celebrate in different ways all over the world. There is a tradition for Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and South America, North America and even Caribbean traditions and Oceania traditions. I suppose there is a tradition or ritual for every corner of our world and for every tribe. I have even seen weddings for animals. Everyone seems to be getting into a ceremony! Within all of these different ceremonies, traditions and rituals have changed over the years. To go back hundreds of years ago, some couples did not even know each other when they were to be married, or paired up by the tribes or royal parents to choose the couple that would best suite the family. Just imagine not even meeting the one that you are supposed to marry and spend the rest of your life with until the day of the ceremony. These traditions were kept sacred and carried out just because that is the way that it has always been done. Most wedding ceremonies would consist of the same rituals and traditions that would be carried on down from generations. Most people doesn’t even know what most of the traditions mean. Unfortunately with time, and more modern ways, these rituals are being changed.
Certain religious groups reject westernized medicine, like the Amish. Yet, for the most part most religions allow their medicinal practices to work in tandem with westernized medicine. For example, First Nations people tend to have a very holistic view when it comes to their surroundings and medicine. Aboriginal traditional approaches to health and wellness include the use of sacred herbs like sage or tobacco and traditional healers/medicine (pg. 5, Singh, 2009). However, they will not reject help from professionally trained doctors and medical staff. Much like other religions, First Nations put a strong emphasis on family/community. Consensus or decision-making is fairly common for them. A practitioner or medical staff member must remember to respect ceremonial objects such as tobacco or traditional blankets, include immediate family members when making a treatment decision, and to accommodate spiritual practices. Normally, organ donation is accepted UNLESS the organ is being removed from someone who is not deceased. First Nations’ believe that their bo...
Social prejudice and a human propensity for ethnocentrism cause observers of a culture other than their own to judge such practices and beliefs as peculiar, yet ‘many of our own practices are peculiar when viewed through the lenses of other cultures’ (Karp, 1990, p74-75, cited in Schultz &...