World Cultures                                                                                            Mr. Pendergast

 

Reading Summary:  “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”

 

1.      Find the THESIS (main idea) of the article, and write down in your own words in one sentence:

 

Even our own culture could be very easily misinterpreted by anthropologists who had never had any contact with us or the ways we live.  We must ALWAYS approach other cultures with an open mind, and not be too hasty to draw conclusions.

 

2.      Now choose four SUPPORTING POINTS that the author used to prove his/her thesis:

 

 

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Supporting Point – in your own words – abbreviate

 

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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 ritual and ceremony.  Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose.

 

2

 

 

1

The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built in to the wall. In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

3

 

 

2

In addition to the private mouth-rite, the people seek out a holy-mouth-man once or twice a year. These practitioners have an impressive set of paraphernalia, consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use of these items in the exorcism of the evils of the mouth involves almost unbelievable ritual torture of the client.

 

4

 

 

3

The medicine men have an imposing temple, or latipso, in every community of any size.

 

 

3.     Now list and define three (3) terms from your reading in that you could use when discussing this article.

 

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Term

Definition – in your own words

 

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1

 

Nacirema

 

 

2

 

 

2

 

Holy Mouth Men

 

 

 

3

 

 

3

 

Latipso