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Creating a Narrative
Can you separate the narrative, agenda, and perspective of the storytellers from your own?
Students were asked to review the American anthropologist and university professor Horace Miner’s 1956 story; Body Ritual among the Nacirema. Miner describes the Nacirema as dumb savages who believe in witch doctors, holy-mouth-men, toilet ceremonies, and sadistic body rituals. Via a carnivalesque style of vocabulary, Miner illustrates his observation and perspective of the Nacirema.
University of Michigan anthropology students were disturbed by the Nacirema’s horrendously barbaric mistreatment of women, the poor, and the torturous body procedures. Although Miner states the Nacirema voluntarily participated in the ruthless ceremonies and harsh societal norms, the students were repulsed by the Nacirema’s customs and body hating practices.
The students firmly believed the Nacirema were uncivilized savages, but Nacirema is American spelled backward and the barbaric society was Miner’s view of the traditional norms of American culture. When the students read the story for the third time they realized the storyteller’s influential power in shaping their ideas, and the mouth-rite ritual was the simple act of brushing one’s teeth.
