anthropologyatwic / The Nacirema - 0 views
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Horace Miner
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magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go
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North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antille
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more powerful individuals in the society have several shrines in their houses and, in fact, the opulence of a house is often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centers it possesses
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bows his head before the charm-box, mingles different sorts of holy water in the font, and proceeds with a brief rite of ablutio
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For example, there is a ritual ablution of the mouth for children which is supposed to improve their moral fiber.
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small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures.[7]
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This part of the rite includes scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument.
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Psychological shock results from the fact that body secrecy is suddenly lost upon entry into the latipso
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inhuman hypermammary development are so idolized that they make a handsome living by simply going from village to village and permitting the natives to stare at them for a fee
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Natural reproductive functions are similarly distorted. Intercourse is taboo as a topic and scheduled as an act. Efforts are made to avoid pregnancy by the use of magical materials or by limiting intercourse to certain phases of the moon.