Body Ritual Among The Nacirema

BODY RITUAL AMONG THE NACIREMA
Horace Miner
The anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which the different
peoples behave in similar situations that he is not apt to be surprised by even the most exotic
customs. In fact, if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior have not been found
somewhere in the world, he is apt to suspect that they must be present in some yet undescribed
tribe. This point has, in fact, been expressed with respect to clan organization by Murdock
!"#"$%!&. In this light, the magical beliefs and practices of the 'acirema present such unusual
aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human
behavior can go.
'acirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which as evolved in
a rich natural habitat. (hile much of the people)s time is devoted to economic pursuits, a large
part of the fruits of these labors and a considerable portion of the day are spent in ritual activity.
The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health of which loom as a
dominant concern in the ethos of the people. (hile such a concern is certainly not unusual, its
ceremonial aspects and associated philosophy are uni*ue.
The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is
ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease. Incarcerated in such a body, man)s
only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of the powerful influences of ritual and
ceremony. +very household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose. The more
powerful individuals in the society have several shrines in their houses and, in fact, the opulence
of a house is often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centers it possesses. Most
houses are of wattle and daub construction, but the shrine rooms of the more wealthy are walled
with stone. ,oorer families imitate the rich by applying pottery pla*ues to their shrine walls.
(hile each family has at least one such shrine, the rituals associated with it are not family
ceremonies but are private and secret. The rites are normally only discussed with children, and
then only during the period when they are being initiated into these mysteries. I was able,
however, to establish sufficient rapport with the natives to examine these shrines and to have the
rituals described to me.
The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In this chest are kept
the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live. These
preparations are secured from a variety of specialized practitioners. The most powerful of these
are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. However, the
medicine men do not provide the curative potions for their clients, but decide what the
ingredients should be and then write them down in an ancient and secret language. This writing
is understood only by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the
re*uired charm.
-eneath the charm.box is a small font. +ach day every member of the family, in succession,
enters the shrine room, bows his head before the charm.box, mingles different sorts of holy
water in the font, and proceeds with a brief rite of ablution. The holy waters are secured from
the (ater Temple of the community, where the priests conduct elaborate ceremonies to make the
li*uid ritually pure.
In the hierarchy of magical practitioners, and below the medicine men in prestige, are
specialists whose designation is best translated /holy.mouth.men./ The 'acirema have an almost
pathological horror of and fascination with the mouth, the condition of which is believed to have
a supernatural influence on all social relationships. (ere it not for the rituals of the mouth, they
believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their 0aws shrink, their friends desert
them, and their lovers re0ect them. They also believe that a strong relationship exists between
oral and moral characteristics. 1or example, there is a ritual ablution of the mouth for children
which is supposed to improve their moral fiber.
It is to be hoped that, when a thorough study of the 'acirema is made, there will be careful
in*uiry into the personality structure of these people. 2ne has but to watch the gleam in the eye
of a holy.mouth.man, as he 0abs an awl into an exposed nerve, to suspect that a certain amount of
sadism is involved. If this can be established, a very interesting pattern emerges, for most of the
population shows definite masochistic tendencies. It was to these that ,rofessor 3inton referred
in discussing a distinctive part of the daily body ritual which is performed only by men. This part
of the rite involves scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument.
4pecial women)s rites are performed only four times during each lunar month, but what they lack
in fre*uency is made up in barbarity. 5s part of this ceremony, women bake their heads in small
ovens for about an hour. The theoretically interesting point is that what seems to be a
preponderantly masochistic people have developed sadistic specialists.
In conclusion, mention must be made of certain practices which have their base in native
esthetics but which depend upon the pervasive aversion to the natural body and its functions.
There are ritual fasts to make fat people thin and ceremonial feasts to make thin people fat. 4till
other rites are used to make women)s breasts larger if they are small, and smaller if they are
large. 6eneral dissatisfaction with breast shape is symbolized in the fact that the ideal form is
virtually outside the range of human variation. 5 few women afflicted with almost inhuman
hyper.mamrnary development are so idolized that they make a handsome living by simply going
from village to village and permitting the natives to stare at them for a fee.
2ur review of the ritual life of the 'acirema has certainly shown them to be a magic.ridden
people. It is hard to understand how they have managed to exist so long under the burdens which
they have imposed upon themselves. -ut even such exotic customs as these take on real
meaning when they are viewed with the insight provided by Malinowski when he wrote$
/3ooking from far and above, from our high places of safety in the developed civilization, it is
easy to see all the crudity and irrelevance of magic. -ut without its power and guidance early
man could not have mastered his practical difficulties as he has done, nor could man have
advanced to the higher stages of civilization./
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