Nacirema

When studying other cultures and people, it is very difficult and almost impossible to fully understand their lifestyle, traditions, rituals, beliefs and values, and way of life unless we’ve first-handedly experienced these daily practices ourselves. In most cases we have not, and can only interpret and try to make sense and grasp the culture from the information at hand and our own personal knowledge and experiences.
When reading about the Nacirema and learning about their culture and some of their rituals, there were many aspects that were very foreign and unusual to me. First of all, the extensiveness of their rituals they performed I found to be very unusual and shocking. They have a fascination with the mouth; and although I didn’t find this too unusual at first, when I read about their ritual of inserting small bundles of hog hairs along with magical powders, I thought this was very peculiar. The consequences if theses oral practices aren’t performed were also very shocking. How their teeth would fall out, gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friends desert them, and their loves reject them. These results seem very drastic and unusual. This along with other practices that almost seemed dangerous and harmful, as well as somewhat sadistic.
There are also a few aspects of the Nacirema culture that I was familiar with. Performing rituals is obviously common among different cultures and religions; what makes them different is how they perform these rituals and how they differ from each other. It also seemed that among the culture, men are valued more and are definitely higher up socially. This inequality between sexes is common among many cultures and societies. There are multiple examples throughout the rituals and lifestyle that present females to be unworthy. In one of the rituals the women actually bake their heads in small ovens. These are considered to be “special women’s rites.” The Nacirema also believes that parents, women in particular, bewitch their own children. The mothers are suspected of putting a curse on the children while teaching them the secret body rituals. The dissatisfaction with women’s bodies and their breast shape symbolizes the fact that the ideal form is virtually outside the range of human variation; however, there are no examples of men’s bodies being imperfect or unable to reach the ideal form.
From an etic approach, there are multiple aspects of the Nacirema culture different than our own. What is so foreign to our culture is the extent of the rituals; the level of torturing and discomfort involved in all the practices. These practices would be considered unethical here in the United States—behaviors that could get someone in trouble with the law or socially outcasted. Their culture is focused on these supernatural and magic rituals, something that is generally foreign in the average American culture. How they classify and identify each other socially—the rich and the poor is comparable to the United States. The substance and how their house is built and the number of shrines indicates their status; in the United States, one’s possessions and where they live and the size of their house is also a big indicator of their wealth and where they stand in society. How the Nacirema seek a holy-mouth-man once or twice a year is also similar to how Americans visit a dentist. The difference once again lies in the supernatural beliefs of the Nacirema culture.
Looking at their culture from an emic approach, however, a lot of these rituals seem relevant and necessary to their beliefs. Their main focus is on the human body and its health and appearance. Their underlying belief is that the human body is ugly and its natural tendency is to debility and disease; the purpose behind their rituals is to avert these characteristics. They believe that there is a strong connection between oral and moral characteristics. Because there is such a strong connection between their physical structure and who they are as a person, their rituals seem to be very harsh and strict.
This article helped me realize that every culture is different. What makes a culture unique and their own, is how a certain group of people can live a certain lifestyle different from any other and be content. When thinking of other cultures, most people including myself tend to be quick to judge. We make assumptions based on little information. What seems normal and socially acceptable here in the United States could be taboo in other cultures; whereas what is considered a “norm” in other cultures, we may view as unacceptable and odd behavior. What we view as exotic and romantic is different among every culture; there is a meaning and reason for every practice they do. We must just take the time to understand what this purpose is. Not only will be gain more knowledge of other cultures, but will have a better understanding of our own.