Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

        Anthropologist Horace Miner was particularly interested in those societies of his time that were closely tied to the earth and agricultural practices. In 1936 Professor Linton brought the ritual of the Naciema to Miners attention, and he then became more interested in their ritual activities.
        The Narciema are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. The Narciema people strongly believed that the human body is ugly and that it's natural tendency is too weak and disease. With this trapped in the body Naciema believed that man's only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of ritual's and ceremonies. Some aspects that are associated with the ritual's are shrines, box or chest built within the wall's of the shrine, charms and magical potions, herbalist's and medicine men.
     Medicine men are practitioners who's assistance must be paid with substantial gifts. Medicine men also do not provide the curative potions for their clients but they decide what ingredients to use.This information is then written down and translated in an ancient and secret language that only the medicine men and herbalist can understand. The herbalist will provide the client with the charms but for an additional fee only.
     The Nacirema have the most pathological horror and fascination with the mouth, these conditions are believed to have supernatural influence on all social relationships in this tribe. The Nacirema's believed that if it was not for the private mouth ritual's, their teeth would fall out, their gums will bleed, their jaws shrink, and their friends and loved ones will will desert and reject them. This belief lead to believe that the medicine men changed their classification to the Holy-Mouth-Men. The Holy- Mouth-Men used a specific set of paraphernalia or equipment consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use of these objects involves unbelievable ritual torture of the client. In the clients view the purpose of these ministrations is to arrest decay and draw friends, but in reality their teeth will continue to decay year after year.
    The medicine men has a temple or 'Latipso" in every community, these temples were used to treat very sick patients. The Latipso ceremonies or Temples are so crude that its futile that anyone will come out alive. One detrimental aspect of the medicine men is that no matter how grave the emergency is the guardian of many temples will not admit a client without a payment.
     Another kind of practitioner is known as the 'Listener" A listener is a witch doctor that has the power to exorcise the devil's that's lodge in the heads of people who have been bewitched. Listeners are important to Nacirema because they believe that parents bewitch their  own children, women in particular. It is the mother that's suspected of putting a curse on children while teaching them the secret body ritual. It is not uncommon for patients to bemoan the rejection he felt upon being discouraged as a babe, and a few individuals even see their troubles going back to the petrifying effects of their own birth.
     The "Magical"beliefs and practices of the Nacirema presented such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of human behaviors limitation. Horace Miner characterized Nacirema as "magic- ridden people" because of there bazaar customs and beliefs. According to Malinowski (1948) he quoted responds "Looking far and above, from our high places of safety in the develop civilization, it is easy to see all the crudity and irrelevance of magic. But without its power and guidance early man cold not have mastered his practical difficulties as he has done, nor could man have advanced to the higher stage of civilizations." The typical western idea for oval cleanliness as well as providing an outside view of hospital care and on psychiatry. This article is also a demonstration of a gestalt shift with relation to sociology.