Body Ritual of the Nacirema – Comprehension and Reflection Questions
Directions: Please respond to the following questions in complete sentences in a document and upload.
1. How well does Miner seem to know the Nacirema?
2. What kinds of words are used to describe the Nacirema?
3. What do the Nacirema say about “mouth rituals?”
What is the precise geographical location of this strange tribe, the Nacirema?
What are the private and secret shrines of the Nacirema?
Who are the Nacirema’s holy‑mouth‑men?
What is the latipso used by Nacireman medicine men?
Who is the Nacirema witch‑doctor “listener” who is able to cure bewitched people?
Were you surprised when you figured out who the Nacirema are? Explain why or why not.
How does Body Ritual Among the Nacirema help us understand our own view of other cultures and how we are viewed by other cultures?
Why do some of the practices and rituals of other cultures seem odd or foreign to us? How do our own cultural norms affect our understanding and perception of other cultures?
What assumptions do we make about other cultures? What are some examples of practices in other cultures that we find odd and hard to understand? (For example, arranged marriages, eating and preparing unusual foods, ritual body piercing, rites of passage.)
Go back to the brainstorm list created earlier about a specific cultural group. What are the listed assumptions based on? How does our own cultural worldview affect how we perceive this specific group?
What techniques can we use to notice when we are making assumptions about others, and how can we avoid this?
Is Miner’s interpretation of Nacirema body rituals ethnocentric? Why or why not?
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