I continued to read, and the more I read, the more confusing it became. The writer speaks of things that this folk do in their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours lives in a prehistoric sort of manner, but the similarities are merely manner to coincidental to our manner of life. I asked myself, is this what we used to develop ourselves with? I mean is this the footing we have come to use our manner of life? As I continued to read, I wonder how it is that no 1 I know has ne’er spoke of such a folk.
The article speaks of shrines that the Nacierma usage in the rites of their organic structures. Now, this confused me a spot until I read the portion where it says “ the focal point of the shrine is a box or thorax which is built into the wall ” . “ In this thorax are kept the many appeals and charming potions without which no indigen believes he could populate. These readyings are secured from a assortment of specialised practicians. The most powerful of these are the medicine work forces, whose aid must be rewarded with significant gifts. However, the medical specialty…
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The Nacirema Tribe By Edgar A. Maceo September 2008 The article that I read is called “ Body Ritual Among the Nacierma ” . The Nacierma is a North American Group life…
After reading Horace Miner ‘s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema I can non state that I would desire to be portion of the folk. A immense ground would be that I could ne’er travel from my ain Christian religion to the spiritual patterns of the Nacirema. My 2nd ground for non desiring to be portion of the folk is that I could ne’er be subjected to the hideous medical patterns and “ charming potions ” used on every citizen in the folk.
One of the cardinal beliefs of the Nacirema is that “ the human organic structure is ugly and that its natural inclination is to infirmity and disease. ” Harmonizing to the Christian tradition, the human organic structure is fallen and is hence prone to disease and failing ; so in that regard, I do non wholly disagree with the Nacirema. However, they seem to take the ugliness of the organic structure to a whole new extreme. Their captivation with the oral cavity is highly interesting. In today ‘s society we do n’t needfully see the oral cavity as an evil device, but more as a tool for communicating and gender. The relationship between unwritten and moral features is an interesting manner to see the universe. I had a batch of pits before the age of 16, and I can candidly state that I was n’t an excessively evil kid ; it ‘s merely a by-product of non brushing and excessively much sugar. The Nacirema seem to read a batch into things that are merely reverberations of a life lived.
The medical specialty work forces seem to be taking utmost advantage of the people he is supposed to be taking attention of. They seem to be out for more selfish chases as opposed to truly unfeignedly assisting the people. I could non believe that the sick had to give gifts before they could be “ helped ” and after they were “ helped. ” The fact that they experienced huge anguish in hurting in order to populate is eccentric. Many people ne’er even walked out. I could non conceive of if our medical system was that flawed and oppressive.
Womans were besides worse off…
… performed by the Nacirema. The Nacirema are a people who stress the importance
of physical health and travel to great and to the foreigner horrific lengths to
guarantee this.
A A A A A professor Linton was the first to cast visible radiation on the peculiarly
eccentric life style that is lived by the Nacirema. Physical health being so
to a great extent stressed is non the eccentric facet, it is the religious sense and
apparently blind religion they put into their beliefs that is perplexing. These
people believe the human organic structure is ugly and that it breeds disease. The Nacirema
pray daily through a private shrine in at that place house to, what seems to me cleanse
and prevent, what to them lurks and strains in our organic structure. It is believed by the
people that there is charming forces possesed in a thorax in the shrine. These
forces or thaumaturgy is supplied through text by a medical specialty adult male who holds really high
stature among the Nacirema. One portion of the organic structure that is seen to be excpecially
unholy is the oral cavity. One major portion of the cleaning of the oral cavity is done one time
or twice a twelvemonth by the ” sanctum mouth work forces ” .
A A A A This is where the adult male uses alien instruments to open holes larger in
disintegrating dentition or even healthy dentitions. The dentition, with nervus exposed, are stuffed
with ” charming ” stuff to collar decay. To the foreigner this is agonizing. There
are many other upseting organic structure cleansing rites like the baking of adult females ‘s
caputs scheduled by the forms of the Moon. This civilization is one of many
civilizations who put there religion in yesteryear on beliefs and travel to apparently horrific
steps transporting them out.
A A A A This article was scaring every bit good as elating to me. What was
scaring to me is the A fact that in the US these distressing rites take
topographic point. As I already stated as an foreigner it is really hard seeking to do
sense of these imposts in footings of my society.I was being rather ethnocentric. It
took me a piece to acquire my…
… review of the absurdnesss of the American civilization. A Other so mocking the scientific discipline of anthropology, Miner shows how an foreigner would see America. A This sight would non be much different from an American sing an barbarian small town in the center of the forest. A Miner ‘s essay extensively proves that the civilization of America is non really different so many other civilisations. A The position of the individual looking in on a society basically makes all the difference. A If that individual has a different point-of-view from those whom live within the civilisation, so all A‘normal ‘ imposts would look alien. A This message that Miner vividly sends must be remembered when analyzing outside civilizations. A If the error of non maintaining this message in head is made, immense misinterpretations about a society would happen. A Miner ‘s essay is a good written analysis of the absurdnesss of the American civilization, while besides turn outing the importance of position in analyzing different civilisations.
Miner exhaustively conveys his thoughts by depicting the absurdity that on a regular basis occurs in the American society. A Miner provinces that:
The funalmental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human organic structure is ugly and that its natural inclination is to infirmity and disease. A Incarcerated in such a organic structure, manganese ‘s lone hope is to debar these features through the usage of the powerful influences of ritual and ceremonial. ( Miner 471 )
This is true of the American civilization, invariably seeking to rectify what is already absolutely all right, such as the usage of unneeded plastic surgery. A Minor ‘s essay is in portion a powerful unfavorable judgment focused on the pathetic happenings that take topographic point in an mean Americans life.
Miner ‘s essay besides deals with the importance of the position of person analyzing another civilization. A Miner depicting the bathroom as A‘the shrine ‘ is perfect for his intents: “ The…
… the University of Chicago, with a grade in anthropology. A Throughout his life, Miner was dedicated to his surveies runing in anthropology to sociology. A He was really interested in the survey of anthropology, but Miner disagreed with the manner that other civilizations were represented. A He thought American anthropologists believed that the American civilization was “ normal ” and, that the other studied civilizations were misrepresented ( Hoogland ) . A Miner was convinced to turn out otherwise. A He wanted to turn out to other anthropologists that to other civilizations the American civilization could be viewed as unusual. A
A A In Miner ‘s papers, “ Body Rituals among the Nacirema, ” he spoke of what would be considered unusual rites performed by the people of the folk. A The people in which he was depicting was really the American civilization, therefore the name that Miner referred to them as the NacerimaA….the backwards spelling of American. A Miner went on to discourse some of the rites in which we as Americans perform on an every say footing. A Rather than depicting the rites in ways that sounded accustom to Americans, Miner alternatively created a more “ crude linguistic communication ” . A The ground Miner wrote the essay was to let the Americans to read it, and take them to believe that they are in fact reading about a civilization elsewhere. A Miner accomplished his end good.
A A Miner went on to depict the rites performed by the Americans. A He described our tooth doctor visits, but instead referred to the physician as a “ holy-mouth-man. ” A The people visited the holy-mouth-man twice a twelvemonth to forestall the decay in the oral cavity. A There were medicine work forces that were visited when a patient was ill. A The occupations of the work forces were to bring around the ill and indisposed, but it came with a monetary value. A There were “ hearers ” or witch-doctors, who were at that place to listen to people who were holding troubles, and needed to seek aid. A Miner described each of these…
… many organic structure rites, some thats are conducted in private, others that require the aid of certain knowlegable medical specialty work forces. After reading about this folk I was shocked at how much they focused on their visual aspect.
“ Body Ritual Among the Nacirema ” was really written about Americans. Horace Miner chose non to straight uncover this, in order to show people ‘ ethnocentric inclinations. From the clip we are born we learn the “ norms ” of our society and we so use those “ norms ” to judge other sociological groups. As I read about the Nacirema I could n’t assist but believe how uneven their organic structure rites are, when in fact they are the very rites I have been taught my whole life and pattern daily.
The ceremonials performed at the Latipso are among the most eccentric patterns of the Nacirema. I did non originally understand why people would volitionally travel to a temple where so many people die. After farther analysis I realized that the Latipso is a infirmary, the medical specialty work forces are physicians, and the vestal maidens are nurses. To an foreigner the infirmary may look like a topographic point of decease but from within the civilisation it is considered a topographic point for mending. It is human nature to see your ain civilization the best. From this point of position it is easier to see negative facets of other civilizations and merely the positive within your ain.
After first reading about the Nacirema, I though their patterns were unusual. However, one time I established that I am in fact a member of the Nacirema, the imposts seemed less foreign. Though I would wish to believe I am non one to judge others and their ways of life, after reading this article happen it is difficult to look objectively at other societies.
