Summary of the Body Ritual among the Nacirema

The author portrays the Nacirema as people who are deeply entrenched in crude traditions, beliefs, and practices. They believe that the human body is unattractive and has a tendency to fall sick, and the only way to get well is to perform rituals to get rid of the ailments. Theses rituals are performed in shrines. Every household has a shrine and some can have more than one shrine. The wealthier families have many shrines, which also act as a sign of wealth.  While the shrines are a must have in the families, the rituals performed are not family events but are personal and private. Sick people are treated in the shrines by medicine men whose assistance is rewarded with a gift. These medicine men write the ingredients of the curative portions in a writing that is only understood by them and the herbalist gives the curative portions after receiving a gift. These charms are kept in a box found in the shrine and are not disposed off even after serving their purpose. This ritual is not strange. It is similar to the modern day hospitals where patients are treated in hospitals by doctors at a fee. The prescription is then taken to the chemist where the drugs are issued at an extra fee.  The box where the charms are kept is similar to a medicine cabinet where most people have a habit of storing drugs even beyond their expiry date.

The Nacirema perform a daily body ritual called the mouth-rite. They insert a small roll of hog hairs and selected magical powders into their mouths and then move the roll around the mouth. The ritual may appear barbaric to a stranger, but the author is only making what is familiar appear strange. In modern day society the ritual is similar to taking care of our oral health by brushing teeth. A Nacerima does not expose his body. Some acts like taking a bath and excretory are considered private affairs. Even being naked is a taboo yet when they enter a latipso all that secrecy is lost. A laptiso is like a hospital and their behavior is not different with that of civilized people. Even in a civilized society, people value their privacy but upon being admitted in a hospital, that privacy is lost.

The author says that the rituals are barbaric and involve torture. He makes the rituals appear strange. Despite the cultural differences, he interprets the rituals of the Nacerima and cultural beliefs as uncouth, uncivilized, and superstitious. He displays the Nacerima as barbaric and although he uses words such as magic, witch-doctor, and charms and portions, from the few comparisons, their rituals are similar to modern day society practices. While today’s practices may be modernized and involve technology, they bear similarities and could probably have evolved from rituals similar to those of the Nacerima.

A cultural practice in our country, Saudi Arabia, which may appear strange to a foreigner, is that men hold hands in public or exhibit public display of affection behavior without arousing suspicion that they could be gay. Such a practice may appear strange to a foreigner who is not familiar with such a practice and he could end up interpreting it wrongly. In most countries men showing affection is considered a homosexual behavior.

In conclusion, each community has its own customs and beliefs. The practices differ from one society to another but they all have similarities. Their aim is always to make the lives of the community members better and easier. Some communities may use crude methods to achieve their goals but the methods used heavily depend on the level of civilization. Dismissing other communities’ customs and beliefs is wrong and barbaric.