“Body Ritual among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner is a fascinating article. There are many brutal, and grotesque aspects of Nacirema society. But while reading this article I noticed several similarities between this native tribe and today’s society. There was heavy emphasis on material possessions in the native‘s culture. Healthcare was actually as difficult to receive for them as it is for us The wealthier members of Nacirema society had much more access to healthcare, and fine materials. To my surprise there was much shame on being nude in this society, as there is now.
I always assumed the more ancient civilizations to have little regard for clothing or physical appearance in general.
The Nacirema were so concerned with appearance, that in a sense they performed plastic surgeries on themselves, Females would reduce or increase the size of their breasts just as they do to this day. The Nacirema were a blueprint to what society has become today. What separates these peoples from us, is their bizarre self-harming rituals.
Many of the ways to remove evil from one‘s self required very painful, gruesome rituals. It is hard to understand why this was found necessary, But perhaps this is a major component of human nature. Suffering, One of the most important stories to most Americans today is that of Jesus Christ, a man who is known for suffering. Perhaps people believe suffering is required in order to enjoy life.
That is the only way I can explain this self-punishing nature.
The Nacirema truly is an intriguing group of indigenous people. They display a very familiar attitude in their own society, The greediness in the Nacirema culture came as a shock to me as well. Many services that appeared very necessary to these people required expensive gifts, Notjust gifts to receive certain treatments but gifts to be permitted exit from treatment facilities.This group of indigenous people is much more interesting to me to learn about because they remind me so much of the society I live in. And that’s not necessarily a good thing.
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