Essay on BR HOE

Submitted By spencerhoward
Words: 334
Pages: 2

Spencer Howard
ISS2270.002
“Reading Summary: Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” In the essay, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” written by a well-known anthropologist, Horace Miner, he writes about the characterization of an exotic tribe by the name of Nacirema. Seemingly strange extremes in which human behavior goes far beyond the imagination of an everyday citizen. Their culture is very vague and little is known of their origins. Raw social interaction of the Nacirema villagers in an isolated environment inhabited with a rich natural habitat. A group of people from North America residing “in the territory between Canadian Cree, the Yagui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles (Miner 503). Practices and preparations of the Nacirema Rituals take place in the shrine room of the family’s home. Social status of the Nacirema people is depicted on how many shrine rooms are in the family’s home, if there is decorations of walled stone around the shrine (if they can afford it), charms, and magical potions. The practitioners, “medicine men”, or best translated “holy mouth men” don’t prescribe anything, instead they write the ingredients in an ancient and secretive language. Inspiring the practice these individual rituals is derived from the notion of fear of the deterioration of their mouth. Generally this concern should be shared among everyone, but the procedure isn’t what it seems. A holy-mouth-man enlarges any holes in the teeth which erosion, or