Essay on the Nacirema Practices and Their Way of Life
It seems strange that in this day and age there are still groups of people scattered about the earth that we have learned very little about. One of them is the Nicarema, a small tribe North American Tribe that is believed to have originated in the East but has since settled in the territory that sits between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui, the Tarahumara of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. While we still don’t know much about their origin, we find that there are a lot of interesting things to learn about their unique lifestyle.
What has sparked most people’s interest however is not so much the region from where they came from but the highly ritualistic beliefs and customs that govern their society. The core of their belief stems from the idea that the human body is innately ugly and naturally susceptible to illnesses. Based on this concept, the Nacirema’s spiritualistic practices often involve defacing the body in order to enhance its beauty and make it more desirable. Each family is expected to maintain a shrine in their household containing a host of powders that can be used to cure certain illnesses when they attack the human body.(1) These powders along with several magical practices are expected to help each individual to overcome their natural ugliness and give them better health.
The Holy-Mouth-Men
With so much attention given to the human body, the mouth is considered to be the most sacred body member. Many of their practices involve keeping it neat and clean at all times. At least once or twice each year, the Nacirema people will visit a Holy-Mouth-Man to get their mouths inspected. He will inspect the teeth, gums, and lips and repair any damage they may have. This is not like a visit to your local dentist where you can get a teeth cleaning and your cavities filled, but instead is a ritual involving magical powders. The people believe in this practice so much that even if there is no improvement and the decay in their mouth continues to worsen they will still faithfully make their visit to the Holy-Mouth-Man for help.
The Listener
The Nacirema also have a practice that is very similar to a confessional in Catholicism where they must make regular visits to the tribal Listener. The Listener’s role is to listen to the people as they talk about their problems and then perform specific rituals in an attempt to force the evil thoughts and ideas from their heads (2).
Body Rituals
More than likely, the Nacarima rituals that seem to be most interesting to outsiders are their body rituals. These were first brought to the attention of many anthropologists around twenty years ago. Because ugliness is so ingrained in their culture they only way to avoid disease is through performing countless spiritual practices. To that end, the vast majority of them spend the better part of their day performing these rituals either at the shrine in their home or with a visit to the local priest.
The Home Rituals
The main section of the home shrine is a box where many of the magical potions, powders, and charms are stored. Many Nacirema believe that if these things are not used they would die. Under the guidance of ‘medicine men,’ the people know which potions and charms to buy for their specific conditions. While the medicine man doesn’t actually sell the potions, he prescribes them by writing them down in an ancient language that is understood only him them and the herbalists that produce the potions.
Every day, each member of the family must enter the shrine room and bow before it before performing their own cleansing ritual. After sprinkling holy water obtained from their Water Temple they can be considered cleansed. However, several times a year they must make their way to the temple for a more thorough cleansing lest they be ostracized by society.
As we learn more about the Nacirema people, many find it difficult to believe that in today’s modern world there are still people with these beliefs. However, if you care to look closer at the rituals they perform on a daily basis there is many similarities between what they do and our own body rituals. We understand the importance of cleanliness, we recognize the need to treat illnesses, and we spend countless hours trying to beautify ourselves daily. The only difference is that they have a more spiritual purpose which allows them to go to greater lengths to fulfill their needs.
References:
https://mrwinandsclass.wikispaces.com/file/view/Nacirema+Lesson.pdf
http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/45476.html