Nacirema Analysis Essay

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Analysis of Body Ritual among the Nacirema
People around the world are different, that is why they follow different religions and different cultures. For Example: Praying to God may be meaningless to a non-believer but it is a source consolation for the one who practice it. The above example helps us to analyze the article of Horace Miner, in which he talks about the customs and rituals followed by Nacirema people. According to Horace the Nacirema people are originally from America. The economy of Nacirema is well stabilized, nevertheless according to them human rituals are more important. Most of the people from Nacirema are worried about their body. They think that body is ugly and there are many diseases related with the body. This is the reason many people have …show more content…
The main purpose of shrine is to keep a secret box which is mainly used for the “charm (a medicine without which the Nacirema people can’t live)” A medicine man who is considered an important person in the society must be awarded for taking care and making decisions on what to include what not to include in the box. Beneath the box is a small potion to which the head of the family bow Below the medicine men are the “holy mouth men”. The Nacirema people believe that the mouth has a special influence on their social relationship. They think if the ritual of their mouth is not done, they will lose their teeth and their family will leave them alone forever. They believe that there is a strong relationship between oral and morality, that is why the ablution of their kid’s mouth is done which they believe will improve their kid’s health Even though these people are conscious about their mouth, the rite or religious ceremony is done in a repulsive way which looks strange to a normal person. The Nacirema people believe that with private mouth rite, they should also see the ‘holy mouth men’ every year or two. The rituals performed by the holy mouth men include tools
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