Body Rituals of the Nacirema

00:06:12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGcrT0i2vlE

Resumo

TLDRIn the 1950s, anthropologist Horus Miner explored the Nasara, a North American group known for their unique and extreme rituals. His detailed observations depict their private ceremonies centered around ceremonial shrine rooms in homes. Rituals include a daily rite of absolution, the use of holy water, and specialized practices performed by medicine men, such as the mouth rite which involves cleansing and treatment of teeth. Additionally, the Nasara maintain rigid ideals regarding body shape, incorporating rituals aimed at weight modification and altering breast size. This study highlights the profound commitment of the Nasara people to their magical beliefs and practices, illustrating the extremes of human behavior.

Conclusões

  • 📚 Ethnographic study by Horus Miner in the 1950s.
  • 🏡 Nasara's home features ceremonial shrine rooms.
  • 💧 Daily rituals include the use of holy water.
  • 🔮 Private and secretive nature of their ceremonies.
  • 👄 Unique mouth rite involving hog hairs.
  • 🧙‍♂️ Medicine men play essential roles in rituals.
  • ⚖️ Rituals aimed at modifying body ideals.
  • 🍽️ Fasting and feasting to manage weight.
  • 🌟 Ideal body shapes are culturally significant.
  • 😂 Ends with a humorous phrase about communication.

Linha do tempo

  • 00:00:00 - 00:06:12

    In the 1950s, anthropologist Horus Miner studied the Nasara, a North American group with extreme, mystically cloaked ritual practices that are poorly understood by modern society. Through his observations, Miner highlights their secretive shrine rituals conducted within family homes, which focus on daily rites associated with holy water and ceremonial absolution. These personal ceremonies are primarily shared with children during initiation and demonstrate how human behavior can manifest in diverse and exotic customs. Among these rituals, he notes the crucial role of medicine men, who continue to enforce body rituals and beauty ideals that have remained largely unchanged over generations. The Nasara's commitment to their beliefs showcases their intricate cultural framework.

Mapa mental

Vídeo de perguntas e respostas

  • Who was Horus Miner?

    Horus Miner was an anthropologist who studied the Nasara group in the 1950s.

  • What are shrine rooms in Nasara culture?

    Shrine rooms are ceremonial spaces within homes where private rituals take place.

  • What kind of rituals do the Nasara perform?

    The Nasara perform various rituals including daily rites of absolution and body modification ceremonies.

  • What role do medicine men play in Nasara society?

    Medicine men, including holy mouth men, help ensure that rituals are performed correctly and may carry out body-related therapies.

  • How do body ideals affect the Nasara?

    The Nasara idolize specific body shapes and perform rituals aimed at altering physical appearance to meet these ideals.

  • Are the Nasara rituals still practiced today?

    Yes, the Nasara maintain their body rituals and religious ceremonies in contemporary times.

  • What is the significance of holy water in their rituals?

    Holy water is considered ritually pure and is a central element in the daily rites of absolution.

  • What does the 'mouth rite' entail?

    The 'mouth rite' involves using a bundle of hog hairs in a formalized ritual to cleanse and treat the mouth.

  • What is the cultural view on women's body shapes?

    Women in Nasara culture may undergo rituals to adjust their breast size according to idealized attributes.

  • What humorous phrase concludes the discussion?

    The session ends with the phrase, 'Yak yak yak and don't talk back.'

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    [Music]
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    in the 1950s an intrepidacious
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    anthropologist Horus Miner studied a
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    group called The nasara a North American
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    group amongst this Broadband of people
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    the ritual rights of these people were
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    so extreme that they were still very
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    poorly understood by modern
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    [Music]
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    society in his own words the
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    Anthropologist has become so familiar
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    with the diversity of ways in which
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    different people behave in similar
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    situations that he is not apt to be
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    surprised by even the most exotic
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    customs
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    in fact if all of the logical possible
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    combinations of behavior have not been
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    found somewhere in the world he's apt to
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    suspect that there must be present in
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    some yet not describable tribe in this
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    light the magical beliefs and practices
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    of the NASA present such unusual aspects
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    that it seems desirable to describe them
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    as an example of the extreme to which
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    human behavior can go
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    in his article he describes in detail
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    the daily rituals that these people
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    undergo that seem to be focused on a
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    type of ceremonial Shrine room built
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    within the home within these Shrine
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    rooms a number of ritualized Ceremonies
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    occur cloaked in
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    mysticism he describes it as while each
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    family has at least one such Shrine the
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    rituals associated with it are not
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    family ceremonies
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    but are private and secret the rituals
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    are normally only discussed with
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    children and then only during the period
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    when they are being initiated into these
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    Mysteries I was able however to
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    establish sufficient rapport with the
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    natives to examine these shrines and to
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    have the rituals described to
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    me each day every member of the family
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    in succession in enters the shrine room
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    bows his head before the charm box
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    mingles different sorts of holy water in
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    the font and proceeds with a brief write
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    of
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    absolution the holy waters are secured
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    from the water temple of the
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    community where the priests conduct
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    elaborate ceremonies to make the liquid
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    ritually pure amongst these rigidly
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    completed and private observed rituals
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    there is included the mouth right that
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    ritual consists of inserting a small
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    bundle of hog hairs into the mouth and
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    then moving the bundle in a highly
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    formalized series of
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    gestures outside of the home a number of
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    medicine men can be visited to ensure
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    that the members of the society are
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    completing their body rituals correctly
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    and
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    completely these medicine men includes a
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    holy mouth man who exercises the evils
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    of the mouth involving the most
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    unbelievable ritual torture of the
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    client the holy mouth man opens the
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    client's
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    mouth and using a variety of probes and
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    prods enlarges any holes which Decay may
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    have created in the
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    teeth magical materials are then put
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    into these holes
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    in addition he mentions the necessity of
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    the nasara to idolize certain body
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    shapes and the need to dramatically
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    change one's
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    appearance there are ritual fasts to
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    make fat people thin and ceremonial
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    Feast to make thin people
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    fat still other rights are used to make
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    women's breasts larger if they are small
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    and smaller if they are large
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    General dissatisfaction with the breast
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    shape is symbolized in the fact that the
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    ideal form is virtually outside the
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    range of human
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    variation a few women Afflicted with
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    almost inhuman mamory gland development
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    are so idolized they make a handsome
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    living by simply going from Village to
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    Village and permitting the natives to
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    stare at them for a
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    fee I want to be Lov by you
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    alone today the rituals remain very much
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    the same the nasara have developed very
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    little with their body
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    rituals they still maintain the
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    religious ceremonies held within the
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    sacred shrines and visit their medicine
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    men these people's commitment to their
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    beliefs can only be equal to their need
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    for small black boxes on which they can
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    catch them
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    all to close in the wise words of the
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    nashara Yaky yak yak and don't talk back
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    thank you and good
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    night the
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    out don't back
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    [Music]
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    obscure joke talk to your parents
Etiquetas
  • Anthropologist
  • Horus Miner
  • Nasara
  • Rituals
  • Shrine Rooms
  • Holy Water
  • Medicine Men
  • Body Modification
  • Cultural Practices
  • Human Behavior