“According to Nacirema mythology, their nation was originated by a culture hero, Notgnihsaw, who is otherwise known for two great feats of strength - the throwing of a piece of wampum across the river Pa-To-Mac and the chopping down of a cherry tree in which the Spirit of Truth resided.” - The esteemed reader will note that “Notgnihsaw” is “Washington” backwards, and recall the cultural myths surrounding the origins of the first President of the United States.
“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 required charm.” - The reader might be curious to find out that the handwriting of doctors, famous for being illegible, is actually a form of shorthand that pharmacists are trained in reading.
“Special women's rites are performed only four times during each lunar month, but what they lack in frequency is made up in barbarity. As part of this ceremony, women bake their heads in small ovens for about an hour.” - This is a bit of a more outdated reference. I believe it refers to going to a hair salon, which most women, as far as I’m aware, do not do four times a month.
“No matter how ill the supplicant or how grave the emergency, the guardians of many temples will not admit a client if he cannot give a rich gift to the custodian. Even after one has gained and survived the ceremonies, the guardians will not permit the neophyte to leave until he makes still another gift.” - Unfortunately, decades later, the healthcare system is still rather abysmal. Most hospitals require payment just to park, and ambulance fees are quite extraordinary.
The following annotations are made by classmates:
Stephanie: "The anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different people 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. The point has, in fact, been expressed with respect to clan organization by Murdock. In this light, the magical beliefs and practices of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go." It would be interesting to learn more about what the response was to this article when it was originally published in an anthropological journal (I believe in the 1950s?), as well as how this fits into the broader historiography of anthropology, particularly what this article was responding to at the time and what role it has played within the field since then. As a satirical piece this seems to speak to the idea of cultural relativism within the field of anthropology, but the specific language choices used such as repeated references to magic and "exotic"-ness and reference to the Nacirema as an "undescribed tribe" remind me a lot of later concepts in postcolonialism. I find it interesting that this text was published several decades before Edward Said's Orientalism, for example—I wonder how this article fits into the context of postcolonial studies and whether the author might have considered specifically imperial power structures and their influence on the cultural narratives we create surrounding colonized peoples when writing it.
Brianni: "Small children whose indoctrination is still incomplete have been known to resist attempts to take them to the temple because "that is where you go to die." Despite this fact, sick adults are not only willing but eager to undergo the protracted ritual purification, if they can afford to do so." It is interesting how central the magical practices that involve purifying one's moral character is in Nacimera culture. It is difficult to understand "rationally" why one would actively pursue physical harm, to the extent that it could end one's life, to oneself. It makes sense, however, if it is the case that a member of Nacimera culture believes that the death by engaging in magical practices leads to better afterlife. Taken with Julianna's introduction to this exhibit that this writing is meant to be satirical, it seems to be pointing to the "irrational" aspects of Christianity in the similar ways that Nietzsche and Freud analyze Christianity's impact on human lives.