Body Ritual among the Nacirema - Assignment Example

The author mentions the cultural hero of the Nacirema, who is known as ‘Notgnihsaw’, and the river Pa-to-Mac, which holds a piece of wampum (Miner, 56). The name ‘Notgnihsaw’ is ‘Washington’ spelt backwards; while the river Pa-to-Mac could be in reference to the Potomac River. General George Washington led the American Revolution in 1776 and became the first American president. For more than half of Americans, he is much more than a cultural hero. 

The article goes further to note that Nacirema’s culture is characterized by a well-developed market economy that delivers financial benefits to the majority of the Nacirema people. The Nacirema people use up most of their time in pursuing intending their bodies in ritualistic ways that have cultural approval (Miner, 1956). The author is obviously alluding to the preoccupation that many Americans have with ensuring that their bodies are in the best physical shape. The ‘shrine’ that the author alludes to, which exists in many houses for the purposes of ritualistically attending the body is probably a reference to gymnasiums, or exercise rooms, which many Americans have created within their houses.
This shrine could also be an allusion to the medicine box.

The author states that within their shrines, the Nacirema usually include a chest like a box that is built into the wall. This chest is said to hold magical portions which have been given to the people by specialized practitioners. The people cannot really tell what the portions are made up of, as the practitioners write what they are in a supposedly secret language that can only be deciphered by other practitioners. From the way the author describes these portions, it is evident that he is speaking about medicinal prescriptions, as well as nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals which can be found today in almost every American home.

The author then goes on to stop that the Nacirema culture is obsessed with the human mouth. He satirically states that the Nacirema believe so much in the power of their mouths, that they are certain that if they do not perform certain rituals on a daily basis, their teeth would fall out, and their social and personal relationships cease to exist (Miner, 1956). The Nacirema supposedly insert a number of tied hog hairs into their mouths and then move them in practiced methods every day. The Nacirema will also seek the assistance of Holy-Mouth men who have the power to preserve the capabilities of the mouth. According to Milner (1956), the mouth men have an arsenal of rough-looking implements such as awls, prods, and probes which they use to perform a kind of exorcism in the mouth to purge it of any existing evils.

This is a hilarious allusion to the yearly appointment with dentists that most Americans observe religiously. The dentist then uses intimidating instruments such as drills and other whirring machines to remove cavity-causing bacteria from the client’s mouth. According to Milner (1956), the Nacirema also have masochistic tendencies. Their women supposedly ‘bake their heads’ in ovens on a regular basis; while the men lacerate their skin’s surface with sharp implements. This alludes to the practice of ‘perming’ the hair and getting tattoos on one’s skin surface.