Ritual

to promote themselves to a higher superior species, ritual becomes an essential part of human life. Yet, the majority of people comply with these practices regardless of the nature or the fundamental roots of them, whether it is benevolent or malevolent. In other words, superstitious and extremely religious individuals follow traditions blindly, which will consequently lead to social dissension and turmoil. According to Miller Williams, ritual is the indispensable factor for us as human beings…

purpose in the lives of individuals and communities. Religious rituals are intimately connected to the core religious or spiritual beliefs held by a particular faith group. Buddhism is an ancient religion founded by Siddartha Gautama. It is centred on the practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of reality (The Buddhist center, 2012). The Buddhist ritual of self-mummification was an example of a religious ritual, which was integral to the historic practice of…

Religious beliefs and the rituals created to express them have played a major role in shaping artistic expression since the beginning of time. The west is no different and we find artwork throughout generations is rich with religious meaning. From the devotional art of New Spain to the Native rituals of the Southwest, the exhibit “Art of the West” at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum displays a significant narration of western culture in one of its main themes “Religion and Ritual”. This…

The Relationship between Ritual and the Construction of Space in Mapungubwe. The following events take place whilst I am a minor in the K2 culture, once we had relocated to Mapungubwe. The essay encapsulates what I see around me and how I feel about it, the types of spaces created, and the alteration in space to suggest the move from profane to sacred. My emotions correspond and add value to the exploration of ideas and themes that I have investigated, namely: The background and meaning of…

The “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” is a sardonic piece by Horace Miner that exposes Western civilization’s misconceptions of the behaviour and way of life of other cultures. He demonstrates how an etic or an outsider perspective can influence the perspective on the undetected culture. Miner introduces the Nacirema tribe who are to be perceived as an uncivilized culture with barbaric rituals. He highlights a few of the Nacirema body rituals which include the focus on the appearance and health…

“Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner is primarily for readers who do not know the “unusual aspects” of the Nacirema tribe (316). Miner does a very good job of showing the readers the “fundamental belief underlying the whole system” that “the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease” (317). We learn throughout this ethnography that the Nacirema go through great measures to put magic into their body from the medicine men picking out ingredients for…

Richard Sosis is an anthropology research professor with interests in human behavioral ecology. In his article, The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual, Sosis questions the logic and purpose of the religious acts and rituals from around the world. Sosis looks deeper into the fundamental reasons for the rituals and how it affects the selected community as a whole and its benefits of overall survival. Sosis argues that the group cooperation that is found in these religious ceremonies creates trust…

Medicine Bag” story, “Apache Girl’s Rite of Passage” video, and the “Cherokee Night Ritual Into Manhood” story are all rites of passages. “The Medicine Bag” is about a boy named Martin receiving his family's tradition from his grandfather and how he feels about it. “Apache Girl’s Rite of Passage” video is about Dachina becoming a woman in her tribe and what she has to go through to become one. “Cherokee Night Ritual Into Manhood” story is about how the Cherokee boys turn into men by staying in…

Body Ritual Among The Nacirema Analysis I believe that the Nacirema practice magical beliefs because they believe that the human body isn’t strong enough on it’s own, and can help it, by using magic to achieve it. They continue to practice it because it is their tradition, and has been apart of their culture for countless years. The overall, “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.”…

Nacirema Response In class we were asked to read “Body Rituals among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner and when reading this article I was very disturbed. The article described very horrific rituals that a specific tribe would do. They would torcher one another to preys there gods. This was my first time reading the article and I can say without a doubt, it will be my last time reading it. My first impressions when reading this article was that it was gruesome and unnecessary to read. I did not…