The Nacirema

PART A

1. Devoted

Throughout the reading, everything the Nacirema population does and believes is out of love for their traditions and culture. They spend a grand portion of their day in “ritual activity” that practices the “dominant concern in the ethos of the people,” which is the perception and healing of the human body (para. 3). The reasons for “how” or “why” they chose to show admiration for their culture narrow down to devotion toward their beliefs. The Nacirema are willing to participate in long practices and rituals because they do not view time as a sacrifice but rather as an importance. They live each day to contribute themselves toward this practice, not because it is expected of them. 

2. Structured

The Nacirema can not continue their rituals without a thorough step-by-step process. First, they must build a chest into the wall to create a shrine stored with “magical potions,” (para. 6). Secondly, before they can receive the potions, they must visit the “medicine men” who write the ingredients in “an ancient and secret language,” (para. 6). To retrieve the ingredients, the note is taken to “herbalists”  who hand out a charm. After that, the Nacirema are finally able to perform their daily rituals. They also must visit the “holy-mouth-man once or twice a year,” (para. 11). Without the steps and structure, they would be unable to practice their rituals which would not allow them to express their culture and identity to the fullest extent. 

3. Intense

As mentioned earlier, they must see a holy-mouth-man. These men use methods that are seen as malpractice in our society, yet are proven to be a necessity in theirs. They use “augers, awls, probes, and probs” inside of each individual's mouth to put “magical materials” inside (para. 11). They believe that with the practice they can “arrest decay” and “draw friends,” (para. 11). The practice, though intense, is a sacred act that must be performed. Similar to devotion, they will go through anything if it means getting rid of the biggest fears within their culture. When ill, they also go to the latipso ceremonies held in a temple. The practices are so severe that even the children believe it is a place “you go to die,” (para. 14). Despite this belief, their faith remains as they take their children and themselves to the intense purification center all due to devotion, structure, and commitment. 

4. Committed

While devoting their time to their beliefs, the Nacirema’s commitment to healing ceremonies is bound to a spiritual agreement they make with themselves. They desire to see “how extreme to which human behavior can go” to heal their inner selves. They are willing to commit to, what we see as, an excruciatingly painful process (mouth rites) because it is less painful than having their, “...gums bleed, jaws shrink, friends desert them, and their lovers reject them,” (para. 9). Both men and women are so committed to their rituals that they will endure sharp scrapings and lacerations on their face; in addition, women will also “bake their heads in small ovens,” (para. 12). The commitment to enduring painful acts stems from their commitment to their bodies.  

5. Sexist

In my opinion, there are a few instances while reading where I noticed that men and women are treated and thought of differently based on their gender. Though I may see it as sexism, the Nacirema people may not see it negatively but rather as an essential attribute of their culture. For example, when men enter the latipso they are treated by knowledgeable maidens who assist in the performance of “natural functions,” (para. 15). However, female clients are “subjected to the scrutiny, manipulation and prodding of the medicine men,” (para. 15). Another example is the “witch-doctor” who removes curses on children that are believed to be placed by the mothers. Consequently, that perspective could be because the Nacirema population believes intercourse is taboo and pregnancy should be avoided. Mothers often do not nurse their infants, thus removing a bond between them. Without a bond, it could be easier to believe that mothers are willing to curse their children. Lastly, though permitted, women are allowed to show their bodies to natives who can stare at them for a fee. However, men are always expected to be fully clothed (unless they are ill at the temple), which only the maidens are allowed to see.

With devotion, structure, intensity, commitment, and division of gender, the Nacirema population can heal what is most important to them: their inner selves. 

PART B

1. I was shocked to realize that the Nacerima was American. Though my choice of words projected toward the Nacerima was conjunctively fitting for America, as an “insider,” my immediate reaction was to defend myself against the words being said by the “outsider.” It is human nature to feel a need to defend oneself before listening to what is being said as there is often little time for reflection and understanding. For example, I would have felt hurt reading that my culture was misunderstood as “sexist” when as an insider I never felt it to be true. In my personal opinion, I do think certain aspects of America are sexist and that must change. Yet from a cultural anthropologist's perspective, when writing about someone else's culture it is important to remove bias, and the word “sexist” holds only bias. I thought explaining afterward would help the community in that culture to reflect; however, it is not my place to change their way of thinking but instead, find the reason for why they think that way in the first place.

2. I had no intention of casting judgment and bias on the Nacerima by using the words “intense” and “sexist” yet from a reader's perspective it could still be perceived that way. At first the word “intense” might not have appeared judgemental but with explanation, I realized there were feelings beneath the surface; such as, “harsh”, “dangerous”, and even “aggressive”. I did not agree with their dental methods and labeling them as “intense” reflected my opinions. I thought I was diminishing the negative connotations behind the word yet I was only bringing it to light. Consequently, after learning that I was writing about America, I still hold that same opinion to be true about the dental system and health care system here. On the other hand, my unbiased words were “devoted,” “structured,” and “committed.” Instead of casting judgment, I admired the dedication they had to their beliefs. I saw it as valuable to their society and culture. I believed that those characteristics were a positive and required asset that would help not only their community but other communities learning from them. 

3. I believe that I could use "thorough" instead of “intense” because it would allow me to still share my thoughts about the meticulous efforts toward their way of living without having a negative connotation attached to it. The only word I can think of for “sexist” would be “old-fashioned” and yet I still don’t think that is correct. I don’t believe there could be an alternate unbiased word that would emulate sexism because I am talking about a gender-bias altogether. I should have used a different word and explanation entirely that did not hold prejudice or judgment toward the community. 

4. My eyes have opened and I realized I was not avoiding ethnocentric judgments entirely. In my explanations, I stated that even though I might not do something in my culture, it's something they view as a necessity in theirs. I thought I was protecting myself and the image of their culture. I believed that a disclaimer was eliminating my opinions but some words I chose still embodied judgment. I realized that if I have to disclaim something before I write it, I should not write it in a way that may be seen as negative without it. I think that it is difficult to remain unbiased when learning from a culture that holds beliefs and morals different from your own. However, I also believe that with conscious effort, it is possible to learn and share a different culture without providing personal opinions and descriptions that don’t present bias and aren’t rooted in one’s own culture. Similarly, after doing both Part A and Part B of this assignment, I have been able to embody the “outsider” and “insider” perspectives which have taught me the importance of making a conscious effort to remove bias where applicable.