The Nacirema Tribe

While studying for my Anthropology exam i came across a case we were looking at that made me laugh. it's quite good and I thought you guys would appreciate the challenge:

The Nacirema tribe appears to have had a highly developed market economy. it appears that many strange rituals marked the daily lives of the people. While much of the these peoples' time was probably devoted to economic pursuits, a large part of the fruits of their labors and a considerable part of their day was spent in ritual activity, the focus of which was the human body which loomed as a dominant concern in the ideas of people.

A "charm box" built into the wall got concentrated attention. It was usually packed with magical packets of curative potions and herbs. The daily body ritual performed by everyone included a mouth-rite. this rite involved a practice which would have probably struck a stranger as revolting. One would insert a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders and then begin moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures. in addition to the private mouth rite, the people would seek out a holy mouthman once or twice a year.

The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. Thise chest contains the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes be could live. The charm is not disposed of after it has served its purpose but placed in the charm box of the household shrine. As these magical materials are specific for certain ills, and the charm box is usually full to overflowing. The magical packets are so numerous that people forget what their purposes were and fear to use them again. While the natives are very vague on this point, we can only assume that the idea of retaining all the old magical materials is that their presence in the charm box will in some way protect the worshipper

Questions:
1. Do you find these rites strange?
2. Have you heard of any other group which follow similar practices?
3. Do you know who the Nacirema are?

answer those questions and i'll tell you what my teacher told us afterwards good luck :]

1. Yes

"in addition to the private mouth rite, the people would seek out a holy mouthman once or twice a year."
2. Yeah, a lot of people get blow jobs from pedophiles.

3. Doctors, because they put used needles in those little boxes

I notice Nacirema is American backwards.

oh i should have mentioned that you shouldnt tell us who you think they are... oh well :]

yeh it is american, nobody got it the first time we read it and then she todl us it was american. magical potions are toothpaste and mouthwash, the charm box in the wall is the medicine cabinet, and the hogs hair is a tooth brush, cuz thats what they were made of before. :B and yeh the mouthman is the dentist.

Thats clever.

I like it.