Cultural Descriptions Week 1

1) Descriptive word: Mysterious

I chose the word "Mysterious" because the people who are described keep their rituals hidden from public view. In the article "Body Ritual of the Nacerima", Horace Miner describes how the rites to the rituals are only discussed with children and when they are being initiated (Body Ritual of the Nacerima). People choose to hide their culture for many reasons. For instance, the people selected to participate in a certain ritual must first be accepted or initiated into it. There may be more hidden cultures than just the Nacerima culture which I find extremely interesting.

2) Descriptive word: Similar

The Nacerima have chests in their home in which they keep different charms for different reasons. Some chests can be over flowing with charms for all sorts of different illnesses. They believe that these charms protect them from whatever harm they fear. In the United States, many people from different cultures and backgrounds practice a form of religion. In most religions items which are considered holy are kept around the home. They also believe that these items protect them from illness and harm just as the Nacerima believe the charms protect them.

3) Descriptive word: Ironic

Looking at different cultures requires an open mind and acceptance that the people participating in the rituals are doing what they believe to be morally correct. The text mentions how the specialists, or "holy-mouth-men"; use tools like probes and prods to enlarge any holes which may have created decay in their teeth (Body Ritual of the Nacerima). Some materials that are considered important are then placed within the holes to prevent decay and bring social benefits to the client. It is ironic that the Nacerima go to these specialists to help prevent tooth decay because they put items that are assumed to not be sterile in their mouths.

4) Descriptive word: Fearful

Fear exists in many ways and represents something different for each individual. People may fear insects, heights, and even locations. The "holy-mouth-men" have a temple in which really sick people willingly admit themselves in order to be cured of their illness. The article mentions how people who go to these temples for treatment are forced to eat what they consider to be medicinal materials, and they are also tortured to release the illness from their bodies (Body Ritual of the Nacerima). People who go there are rarely cured and end up passing away from the medicinal rituals. It can be understood why a person would be fearful of these temples but the Nacerima believe that these temples are holy ground in which people are cured of what troubles their bodies.

5) Descriptive word: Understanding

The Nacerima culture certainly has aspects of it that could be considered taboo such as torture and needing a witch doctor to perform exorcisms. It must be understood, however; that these practices are considered sacred to them. It is apart of their way of life and must be respected just like all other cultures. When one observes these practices it can be a highly educational experience about the culture. Observing other cultures is not for everyone because of how disturbing some rituals are considered. No matter how disturbing a culture is considered to be, it is always interesting learning about it and may give the observer another perspective in their own life.

Part B:
1) As an American I feel my choice of words make the American culture seem very strange and foreign. I now see that I was being biased because for all the aspects discussed, I was comparing them to my own culture which is American. Because of how the words "witch doctor" and "holy mouth men", I assumed that the people being discussed were not in an advanced society.

2) I believe the words that I chose that were ethnocentric are: Fearful, Ironic, and Similar. Because I showed some type of uncertainty to the way the medical procedures were conducted, I was assuming that the people did not understand modern medicine which is why I chose "fearful". Ironic was also ethnocentric because I was also assuming that the specialists were not medically trained professionals. Similar was what I believe, also a poor word choice because I was also comparing the people described to Americans. The words that I believe were not ethnocentric were Mysterious and Understanding. When I mentioned mysterious, it was because I believed that this culture was hidden from anyone outside of it. I was not being judgmental it was clearly observational. I also mentioned "understanding" because no matter how different a culture is from my own, there can still be an opportunity to have a new perspective in life.

3) Another word I could of used instead of "fearful" would be "hesitant" although I do not think this word is also unbiased. I also do not believe there is another word for "ironic" that is also unbiased because irony is a word meaning the unexpected. Another word for "similar" could be unbiased would be "related" because it would be from an observational standpoint.

4) I believe it is very important to avoid being ethnocentric and unbiased when describing other cultures because it can be very easy to judge another culture based on its practices. It also prevents the reader from being able to visualize what is being read without the personal bias of the writer in their minds. Although it is a Cultural Anthropologist's job to observe different cultures, it is impossible to not be ethnocentric. Comparing cultures to one's own is done without thought and takes practice and patience to understand that and try to be unbiased. But as long as the Cultural Anthropologist can describe most of what he or she observed without being ethnocentric, it will allow the reader to visualize the culture from the Cultural Anthropologist's point of view.