Body Rituals Among Nicerema
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A Shrine is a holy or sacred place which is dedicated to specific deity at which they are
worshipped. According to Nacirema culture the focal point of shrines is box or chest which is built into the wall. The chest contains many charms and magical potions which are essential to protect his or her life from evil spirits.
According to Horace Miner, the human body is inclined to become weak and susceptible to disease. The main purpose of these shrines is to protect the human body from deterioration of health and physical appearance.
In my opinion, Nacirema culture is obsessed with rituals and ceremonies to protect the human body in terms of health and appearance. Their community spends a vast amount of their resources on these daily ceremonies that seem to stem from fear of the deteorating body.
I would not like to be a part of this culture because of the massive amount of time that is spent on rituals that seem to be extreme. For example, the mouth ritual involves gouging teeth, for which supernatural substances can be applied. I cannot begin to imagine the excruciating pain the worshipper must have felt. This culture also seems to have a caste system that does not favor the working class. In the article, Miner describes those that are sick natives denoting a gift before entering and leaving the temple. If one cannot offer gifts, then the believer cannot participate. In other words, the rich seem to be favored in this belief system.
In my opinion the giving of gifts to enter a temple, to recover ones health, seems to be unnecessary and unjust. If one cannot offer such gifts then he or she is denied entrance. Not all aspects of Nacirema culture seem to be unnecessary. The use of the practitioner known as the “listener” seems to be a good idea. In this ritual the patient simply tells the listener all his trouble and fear. The practice appears to be an early form of psychology that can better ones mental health. However, the mouth-rite ritual seems to be a harmful practice that consists of drilling holes to gauging out teeth in order to get rid of evil spirits. This practice involved no form of anesthesia that protected the believer from a considerable amount of pain and anguish